


Back in Black

by IHateCheddar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abused Sirius Black, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Black Character(s), Black Family-centric (Harry Potter), Character Bashing, Character Death, Courtroom Drama, Family Drama, Famous Harry, Fluff and Humor, Gay Character, Gen, Good Dudley Dursley, Good Slytherins, Good Writing, Gryffindor, Hot Sirius Black, Lesbian Character, Lord Sirius Black, Minor Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Morally Grey Harry Potter, Orion Black's A+ Parenting, Peter is a Little Shit, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Pureblood Politics (Harry Potter), Pureblood Society (Harry Potter), Purebloods (Harry Potter), Remus Lupin Needs a Hug, Sirius Black Lives, Sirius Black Never Went to Azkaban, Sirius Black Raises Harry Potter, Sirius gets a trial, Slytherin, Smart Harry Potter, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Trope Subversion, Walburga Black Bashing, Walburga Black's A+ Parenting, Wizengamot, Young Sirius Black, arcturus black is a bamf, cliche subversion, pollox black is a bamf, slight bashing anyways
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2020-09-05 03:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 57,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20264176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IHateCheddar/pseuds/IHateCheddar
Summary: Sirius Black was many things, but Arcturus knew his grandson was no killer. With no other options for an heir, he knew he'd need to help keep the future of the Noble and most Ancient House of Black out of prison,At least until he gave him an heir, that is





	1. Out on Bail

**I don't own Harry Potter or Characters, only this fanfiction's plot**

** **Only going to say this once, this story is in 3rd person, so sorry if you're that one weirdo who likes first person** **

* * *

Sirius leaned against the stone wall of his holding cell, hysterical laughter having faded to somewhat loud sobbing as the weight of all that had happened seemed to suffocate him more than any Dementor could even dream of attempting.

It had been all his fault, he suggested it, he thought it was ingenious: the ravenclaw in him, James had said. He'd never felt more _stupid._

It had all been Peter, _he'd_ been the traitor, _he'd_ been throwing hints and shade at other members of the Order, trying to make him _more_ paranoid. Paranoid enough to think Remus, _their_ Remus of all people, could have possibly been a _Death Eater_ of all things.

His only solace was that Harry was safe, he was probably on his way to Alice and Frank's: The Longbottoms were good people, Sirius knew they'd give him a bottle and everything would seem like a terrible nightmare to the lad.

Sirius was so enveloped in his own grievances he didn't even notice the tall man walk into his cell until his familiar drawl resounded off of the walls, "Dear Lord, Sirius I'd have thought you'd have more respect than this."

Looking up Sirius felt like laughing all over again, there his grandad stood, he really was in hell.

"Get up," Arcturus said suddenly, "I've gotten you out on bail, we'll talk more about your little _scene_ once we're somewhere that doesn't insult my sensibilities."

Sirius mind went blank, "What..?"

Shaking his head Arcturus hauled him to his shaky feet, talking about how he, "Had some decent robes for him to put on before they braved the public," but Sirius barely registered it.

He didn't register anything for a while, the glare the aurors gave him while he signed some forms, or the robes his grandad gave him to put on, he didn't even register the crowds of bustling witches and wizards as he was steered towards the floo.

No, Sirius' mind didn't register much of anything, not for a while that is.

* * *

Sitting in a chair in Grimmauld's Place Sirius shakily accepted a cup of tea from his grandad as the older man sat infront of him. Sipping his drink Sirius steeled his nerves as he asked the question which he knew he didn't really want the answer to.

"Why did you pay my bail?"

Voice weaker, more meek than he intended, Sirius was still somewhat impressed that it didn't crack as he spoke. Arcturus raised an eyebrow as he contemplated his grandson, the man looked as shell-shocked as one could get.

"You're the only heir the Noble and most Ancient House of Black has, I wasn't going to just let them throw you in without a trial. I expect you to behave from now on, of course, but that's a small price to pay when your alternative is Azkaban."

"I deserve Azkaban."

Lip twitching Arcturus frowned, "Now don't tell me you went through all the trouble of joining He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and turning your friends over to him, only to croak after the fact?"

"I didn't do it."

"Hmm?"

Setting his tea cup roughly on the table Sirius stood in front of his grandad on shaky legs, eyes flashing dangerously as his jaw clenched and, not unlike his mother, face became a furious shade of red as his temper failed to reigned in, and as expected he began shouting,

"I would have sooner died and dance my way _to hell_ with a _chicken_ on my head before I joined Voldemort-" here Arcturus visibly winced, "-Let alone sending him after my brother and his _BABY!_ Do I really strike you as the kind of guy who would _kill_ a _BABY?!"_

Slumping back on the coach Sirius felt his steam run out, mumbling under his breath, "That filthy rat, however trustworthy he may seem, apparently is.. I'm such an idiot.." tears started falling again as Sirius shook, threatening to break out in a new fit of sobs.

"We're going to have to prove that Sirius, your bail is only good for a week, then you'll have to go to trial. I will ask you not waste my money and get a hold of yourself."

Jumping slightly Sirius looked up at his grandad, who now stood above him with a look of disappointment on his face, a look he hadn't seen since his sorting.

"You claim you didn't betray your friends, that you never even joined He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Yet you're willing to go to jail for another man's crime? The same man who is responsible for the deaths of your supposed brother?" Pinching the bridge of his nose Arcturus let out a pained sigh, "Does Azkaban just _sound_ fun to you? Do you have some sort of Dementor fetish we don't know about? Or is this some new attempt at rebelling against us? Because I can't think of anything short of retardation that would make a so-called innocent man think prison sounds like the right spot to spend the rest of his miserable life."

"I don't want to go to Azkaban, grandad.. I just deserve it, I killed my fri-..Friends.."

Sighing Arcturus sat beside Sirius, gently grabbing the boy by his chin and brushing his arrogant grandson's hair back so that Sirius had no choice but to look him directly in his eyes, "Now Sirius, can you honestly sit here and tell me you think it's a logical train of thought to claim you both killed the Potter's, and yet didn't betray them?"

"If I had agreed to be their secret keeper- if I hadn't suggested-"

"It was still their own decisions to follow whatever boneheaded advice you gave them," Arcturus said as if he was stating that the earth was round, before narrowing his eyes and adding in a more serious tone of voice,"Quite frankly, they shouldn't have even asked you to put yourself in that much danger to begin with."

Sirius fell silent, so Arcturus finally asked, "Did you or did you not raise your wand towards James Potter and his excuse of a wife?"

Putting his tongue in his cheek Sirius shook his head.

"Then you didn't kill him, plain as. That makes this entire thing a bit easier, now-" standing up Arcturus clapped his hands together and called a certain House Elf, who looked just about as pissed as can be to see Sirius. "Kreacher, if you will please go fetch the rest of the family. I'll need them if this plan is going to work."

Sirius wanted to ask the question, "what will work?" But in reality he already knew what his grandad was planning, he had already admitted to it, hadn't he?

Arcturus Black was going to keep him out of Azkaban.

* * *

**First chapter of my first story, I've always loved the classic Sirius-Raises-Harry-cliche, so I've decided to subvert the trope by adding in the Black family along with some other surprises further down the line**

**Obviously, we don't know much about most of Sirius' family members, but alas, for I will fill in the blanks to the best of my humble abilities. The main change from canon is that Arcturus cares more about furthering his families bloodline, interested or not I'll be updating this in due time.**

**Enjoy lol**


	2. Sins of Thy Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius wakes up and Arcturus acts strangely in his opinion

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its Characters)**

* * *

Sitting up in bed Sirius felt somewhat disoriented, hearing his mother's familiar screeching at whomever had been unfortunate enough to set her off. Sirius could _almost_ forget he had lost three-quarter's of his family within a few days.

Almost

After having put some new robes on (which had belonged to his only biological brother) Sirius braved whatever trials God had set for him and made his way into the living room, where his mother was giving his grandad a piece of her mind:

"-You come into MY house, disturb MY life, and expect me to _defend_ that wretched, deceitful, lying no-good, _shame_ of my _flesh_-"

"It's nice to see you too, mother."

Whirling 'round some would have half expected Walburga's head to snap right off her neck at how fast she turned.

"You!"

"Me." Sirius drawled, brushing his hair out of his face with a casual elegance. Watching his mother struggle to articulate as her face became a startling red was somewhat amusing, he might have laughed if it wasn't for the fact that they did actually need her for this plan to work.

"If your father was here-"

"-He'd be overjoyed that his son is being as obedient as he is," Arcturus cut in, giving his daughter-in-law a significant look. "Walburga, I understand personal feelings are in involved here, but your father and I will not tolerate this level of disrespect."

"He abandoned us! Why should we come to his rescue now? _His_ choices, _he_ should have to live with them!"

Sirius clenched his jaw as his neck turned red, he took a deep breath and started to walk past his mother, he'd let his grandad sort this out.

"He was a child at the time, and Sirius's situation-"

"Is the direct result of his disobedience and shameful world views."

"Views you didn't properly correct." Arcturus snapped, "You _knew_ he was surrounded by mudbloods and muggle-lovers, yet you neither took him out of Hogwarts or ensured he understood why things were the way they were."

Walburga eyes flashed dangerously as she screeched, "I made him understand plenty! _His_ shame, _his_ disgrace, his very _personality_ is a burden on my soul!"

"It's not my personality, mother."

Turning towards the man both parties thought had left the room, they saw his fist clench on the doorknob as he was about to leave the room, "That isn't what sorts you, I have tried to explain this a hundred times already, and it seems I'm still only talking to hot air."

"You see, Arcturus?! This ungrateful, shameful, abomination-"

Whirling around Sirius gave his mother a significant look, "What's so shameful about being noble? Isn't that in our _precious_ family title?"

Fully facing Walburga, who sputtered as she struggled for an appropriate response, Sirius gave out a bark like laugh, "Again I don't know why I bother, you don't _care_ why I was sorted in Gryffindor, you don't _care_ why I started to disagree with the notion that only purebloods deserve to _breathe_, you don't _care_ how _I_ felt about the whole situation either. "

Walking closer Sirius gaze hardened, "And most importantly, mother, you don't _care_ why I left in the first place. What drove me to it? Couldn't concern you less."

Sirius wasn't surprised when his mother backhanded him, cutting his cheek with her many rings, or when she raised her wand to curse him as she always did when they got in a row. What did surprised him was what happened next:

For just a moment (when he didn't feel the familiar sting of the cruciatus curse) Sirius feared he might have pushed his insane mother a little too far, and that she had actually used the other unforgivable- the one that killed you.

Looking up he was downright shocked to see his mother stock-still, muscles frozen, prettified. His grandad put his wand back in it's holster, before helping Sirius back to his feet.

Sirius watched Arcturus warily as his grandad examined his cheek, wondering what kind of game he was playing at.

"A little bit of dittany and silver outta heal this, go on into the kitchen and ask your granny if she'll fix you up."

"What about-?"

"I'll handle your mother. There is much we need to discuss, but it can wait until you're emancipated."

Sirius gave his grandad a nod, before he sulked off into the kitchen (only because be needed to eat anyways), and as luck (or fate) would have it, Sirius didn't even need to ask for his granny to start fretting over him

* * *

Pollox sighed, running a hand down his face as he thought over what his cousin had just told him.

"You're sure?"

Leaning more on the back of the chair, Arcturus frowned, "I just about witnessed it."

"I knew.. I knew Walburga was tough on the boy, but I never imagined-"

"She would use _that_ on a child?"

The silence hung in the air, neither said it, but Pollox knew all too well what this would mean for his daughter.

"She's old, if Sirius forgave her, maybe.."

"Sirius isn't the type to forgive so easily." Arcturus pointed out, "Let alone someone like Burga, we both know she'd never apologize."

Pollox didn't say anything, only gazing into the fireplace as the embers flickered, praying silently to God his grandson would be merciful when they approached him.

"He is right you know," Arcturus continued, looking over at his cousin, "About the sorting. It's more than the overblown personality test most take it for, and if he was implying what I believe he was.."

"You don't have to say it, I know very well what it means.."

Sighing Arcturus straightened, walking in front of his cousin to stir the fire, "You realize, even if Sirius were willing, I cannot simply let this go, right?"

Being met with silence Arcturus turned to give his cousin a significant look, "Your daughter has done the unthinkable, probably ruined our heir, you honestly believe I will let her go unpunished?"

Sighing Pollox shook his head, "I just wish it could be avoided, I'm.. I'm angry too, you realize? He's my grandson too, and to think my own-"

Setting a hand on his cousin's shoulder Arcturus gave the man a sympathetic look, "I understand, I may have to do the same to my own son, depending on what Sirius has to say on the matter."

The two men sat in silence, both understanding what would be done to their children.

* * *

**Would anyone be interested in me using the "Hagrid is a Death Eater Theory" here? It's fairly new and I'm not sure if anyone has written it, just keep in mind it won't effect anything for awhile either way**

**Btw this is also on my fanfiction.net account, I use the same username on there :)**

**Anyways I hope you like this chapter, please remember to like and comment, and most importantly enjoy :D**


	3. Liars Always Win

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arcturus revises the plan some

**(I** **don't own Harry Potter, or its Characters)**

* * *

"Fuck that."

"I told you he wouldn't go for it, " Narcissa drawled, filing her nails as she listened to her relatives bicker.

"Sirius, without your mother there must be some changes-"

Fixing his grandad with a look, Sirius said definitively, "I'm not going to lie on stand."

"Then you will end up in Azkaban."

"I know I could prove my innocence! If they just checked my wand, or let me have some veritaserum-"

"They'd hardly believe you, it's a well known fact that most of the Noble families teach their children occlumency, so veritaserum wouldn't make a difference." Narcissa said matter-of-factly, "As for the wands, yours was snapped and Pettigrew's was blown up, so it's up to you to convince the jury."

"And it should be with the truth!" Sirius seethed.

"Siri-" Sirius whirled around on his grandad, who was looking down at him in barely veiled irritation. Then, speaking as though speaking to a child, Arcturus asked, "Surely you realize how stacked against you this trial is going to be?"

Walking circles around his grandson, like a vulture who had found a handsome carcass, Arcturus Black started listing off the many unfair facts about the trial Sirius was about to get.

"Firstly a gag order was not inacted before anyone could publish anything about what has transpired. Meaning, my young and foolish boy, the jury will have already been convinced of your guilt before we have even entered the court room.

Secondly, that muggle-lover Dumbledore is convinced he was directly told you were their secret keeper. Hearsay it may be, people are stupid and will not understand this is not sufficient evidence to convict you.

Thirdly, this is an emotional time. The Ministry is under pressure from the public to clean this mess up, and you being innocent is nothing more than a slight inconvenience as far as they are concerned. The fact they tried to sentence you without trial is prove enough of that."

Sirius stiffened as Arcturus fixed him with a pointed look, "Suffice to say, The Dark Lord's supposed right-hand man going in there spouting nonsense about the currently _beloved_ Peter Pettigrew being a Death Eater is _not_ going to win you that trial."

Sighing, Sirius sat on the arm of the coach, "What would you have me say, then?"

"A well crafted lie." Arcturus said as if it were obvious, "You're going to make the jury sympathize with you, and use their empathy to your utmost advantage."

"Whatever you do, don't do what Bella did." Narcissa spoke up, pointing her nail file at her baby cousin, "She didn't listen to a thing we just told you, and now she and her husband are going to spend the rest of their lives in Azkaban."

"What _did_ Bella do anyways?"

Narcissa gave a sorrowful look, "She attacked the Longbottoms, tortured them into insanity."

Sirius felt like he was about to have a stroke, Frank and Alice were...? Oh God, Harry.. He must have been..

"Were.." Sirius managed, swallowing as he continued to spit out, "Did Neville and Harry..?"

"Neville is fine, and if my understanding is correct Harry Potter wasn't with the the Longbottoms."

Sirius felt a rush of relief flood him, or rather his heart had restarted and thus circulation had rightly returned to his body.

"But.. If Harry isn't with them, is he with Remus?"

"From what I've been told, your godson is living with some of his muggle relatives." Arcturus informed, watching his grandson curiously as he visibly bristled.

After a moment's pause Sirius asked incredulously, "My godson is being raised by.. by- mu-muggles?"

Looking back over at him Narcissa raised a single dainty eyebrow, "You seem awfully upset for someone who constantly advocates for muggle rights, is there a problem?"

"Yes there is a problem!" Sirius exclaimed as he stood up, running his hand through his hair as he started to pace, "I fought so that muggles and muggleborns wouldn't be killed or enslaved, not so that they could _steal_ my godchild!"

"It's hardly stealing Siri," Narcissa pointed out, "With you currently being on trial, and the Longbottoms out of commission, it is perfectly within the laws _you_ fought to preserve to hand him over to them as they _are_ his closest living relatives."

Sirius visibly steamed at this, earning a knowing smirk from his cousin, "I fought for their right to not be _killed-_ I would have never- this isn't-"

"It is going to be if you don't win your trial."

Sirius grit his teeth at that, hypocritical or not he'd be damned before he let Harry- his _brother's_ son- be raised as a muggle by complete strangers!

Giving a resigned sigh Sirius ignored the looks of satisfaction he received when he asked, "What exactly do you want me to say?"

* * *

**If anyone is wondering what the initial plan was, don't. I didn't think about it farther than the Blacks were going to say Sirius was with ** ** _them_ ** ** the week-of-misery happened, thus giving Sirius an alibi in the form of several public figures.**

**But Walburga is a cunt, so Arcturus has to think of something else**

**Anyways you can ignore that if you don't like the idea, as again I didn't put much thought into it.. Don't forget to like and let me know what you think, hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**(I don't own Harry Potter or Its Characters)**

* * *

To say Sirius was nervous would be an understatement, to say he looked it would be a lie. Following his grandad through the Ministry of Magic Sirius Black held his head high with a well crafted pokerface resting upon his attractive features, ignoring the whispers and glares he received with practice ease as he entered the lift that would take him to his trial.

Walking into the courtroom, having all those witches and wizards staring down at them, Sirius let himself look somewhat frazzled. Guilty thoughts floating on the outskirts of his mind, just enough to seem unintentional. Walking over to the chair in the middle of the room, he sat and allowed the golden chains to restrict his movements.

Barty Crouch peered down his nose at Sirius and his grandad, as he started the debriefing;

"Sirius Orion Black, you stand before the Wizengamont accused of not only betraying the Potters to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but also murdering twelve muggles and the wizard known as Peter Pettigrew, how do you plead?"

Looking Bartimus Crouch in the eye Sirius held his head high, as if he were sitting on a thrown, and declared, "Innocent."

Laughs echoed in the court room at that, but Sirius paid them no mind, not breaking eye contact with the man who had tried to do him away without trial.

"I suppose you have an explanation as to why you betrayed James and Lily Potter to Voldemort, then?" The Chief Warlock asked.

Arcturus narrowed his eyes, glaring into the eyes of Albus Dumbledore, a man who dared insult his Ancient and Noble House by not ensuring his grandson a fair trial.

"I wasn't their secret keeper," Sirius said sadly, eyes becoming glassy as he spoke, "I wish I had been.. They'd still be alive if I hadn't refused them."

Albus Dumbledore's gaze became steely as he next spoke, "James Potter told me he was going to make you their secret keeper."

"So you believe it fair to send my grandson to jail because a dead man _told_ you he was _going_ to make Sirius their secret keeper, should he _actually accept_ the position?" Arcturus asked incredulously, "That's nothing but hearsay, you cannot convict him from that."

Murmurs throughout the Wizengamont erupted, before Bartimus Crouch hit his gavel, recalling order.

Once there was once again silence, Barty Crouch looked Sirius in his now tear filled eyes as he spoke coldly, "You claim you refused to be the secret keeper of your best friend, who was being hunted by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, why would you do that?"

"Because I was _SCARED!"_ Sirius exclaimed, eyes wide as he started to tremble, letting the guilty thoughts take on more shape as he choked back a sob, "I was so fucking scared.. I already had cousin Bella after me, among other Death Eaters, I.. I knew I'd definitely be killed if _he_ took interest in me.. I didn't want to die.."

The Wizengamont remained silent, aside from the furious writings of Rita Skeeter, as she wrote the proceedings of the trial down, and the choked back sobs of the man on trial.

"You mean to say you were a coward, and refused to keep your friends safe?"

Tears rolling down his face Sirius gave a weak nod, "I _wish_ I'd done it.. I always admired James for his bravery but.. I didn't want to _die_.."

Resting a hand on his sobbing grandson Arcturus set his furious gaze on the jury, "Dumbledore had already offered to be the Potters secret keeper before James Potter refused him. The Potters had _no right_ to ask my grandson to needlessly put his life on the line just so that James Potter could prove a point."

Stunned whispers spread throughout the court, whether it be from his grandad's attack on the beloved war heroes or his revelation that Dumbledore was also now a suspect, Sirius didn't know.

Seemingly weighing his options Albus leaned forwards, peering down on Sirius as he asked, perhaps more kindly, "Who was the Potters secret keeper then? And why did you attack those muggles in the streets?"

Sniffling, Sirius looked up at his old headmaster miserably as he shrugged, letting himself feel even worse, "I haven't the faintest idea, I.. I thought since they asked _me_, they might've asked some of our other friends.. So-so I went and sought Peter out, but he thought it was _me_ and we got into a fight.."

Swallowing Sirius let more tears roll down his face, letting grief mix in with the guilt as his shields loosened some more, allowing anyone who was a legilimens to see just how bad he truly felt about this.

"I'm sure he hadn't _meant_ it.." Sirius went on, "Pete had always been a rather unskilled wizard.. But he _tried_, he tried to fire off a spell and.. And accidentally blew himself up instead, and.. Seeing his body, or what was left of him.. I... I lost it.."

Breaking down into a new fit of sobs, Sirius was vaguely aware of his grandad rubbing his shoulder as the verdict was given.

* * *

**Truly hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I had a lot of fun writing it, playing around with how Sirius would respond and the like**

**Yes Skeeter is going to bless y'all with an article, gonna be glorious as can ** **be**

**Anyways, don't forget to like and comment, and most importantly enjoy!**


	5. Black Crimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius has something to ask Arcturus

**(I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Hearing a knock on the wall Arcturus looked up, Sirius standing in the doorway looking like he wasn't sure if he should continue walking into the den or not.

"I take it you're here to give thanks?"

Arcturus watched the man as he nodded meekly, listening as his grandson quietly admitted, "You were right, I wouldn't have been freed if I'd gone in there and done what I wanted.."

Nodding approvingly Arcturus motioned for his grandson to sit, waving his wand as he summoned a tea set and some scones.

"You are young, it will be awhile before you are able to see sense without a guiding hand."

Accepting his tea Sirius looked down as he shrugged, "I'm still grateful, even if people think I'm a coward."

Arcturus looked over at Sirius, somewhat amused, "You want something, you wouldn't be this pleasant otherwise."

Sighing Sirius looked into his tea cup, "Am I that obvious?"

"To me you are," Arcturus stirred his tea, "Whatever it is, it can wait. I have something I need to discuss with you."

Sirius looked like he wanted to protest, but looking at his grandfather the boy gave a resigned sigh and nodded, knowing it was better not to fight it.

"Did your parents ever harm you?"

"..What?"

Locking eyes with his startled grandson, Arcturus made it clear he was not joking around as he repeated his question more sternly, "Did your parents ever raise their wands to you?"

Giving a nod Sirius cocked his head to the side, much like a confused puppy, "What is this about?"

Sputtering somewhat, Arcturus gave his grandson a disbelieving look, "What do you mean, 'What is this about?'? You just told me.. You just told me your parents hurt you!"

"I don't understand, you say it like it's news or something.."

"Are you under the inane impression that I _knew_ about this?"

Giving a small nod Sirius visibly flinched when his grandad stood up, tensing as the man set his hand on his shoulder, preventing him from looking away from him.

"Sirius Orion Black, I want you to listen to me and you listen good. I have never and will _never_ permit someone, not even my own son, to harm a single hair on your head, _do you understand me?"_

Silence was met as Sirius stared up as his grandad, not quite believing what he was hearing.

_"Do you understand me?"_ Arcturus repeated, silver eyes flashing fiercely which immediately elicited a hurried nod from his grandson.

Sighing Arcturus bent down on his knees so that he was looking up at Sirius, taking the teacup from the boy's trembling hands.

"You realize I'm not angry _with you_, right?"

"I.. I don't.. I thought you knew?"

Giving Sirius a hard look Arcturus allowed his occulemency walls to fall, so that his boneheaded grandson wouldn't be able to misunderstand a damn thing he said.

"Child abuse is not a joke, Siri. I would have removed you in seconds if I had even the _slightest_ suspicion that you were not safe in my son's home."

Swallowing thickly Sirius felt his eyes water as he shifted through his grandad's mind, feeling an array of emotions flood his head, but strongest of all being simple _relief_.

Reaching up Arcturus gently cupped his grandson's cheek, gently wiping away the tears that managed to fall.

"Did your mother use the cruciatus curse on you often?"

"It's.. It's the only one she ever used after I was sorted.."

"Not that anything you could do would _ever_ warrant it, what harebrained reasons did she deem worthy of such a horrendous punishment?"

Taking a deep breath Sirius shrugged, "I.. Try not to think of it, it varied I suppose.. Of course there was my sorting itself, but.. I'd rather not talk about the specifics."

"I take it my son knew about this treatment?"

Nodding Sirius tried to avert his eyes, only to be gently steered back to look in his grandad's eyes, "Did he also use that curse on you?"

"No.. Not usually.. I always preferred it if he punished me.."

"Sirius your father may be my son, but you don't need to downplay what he has done for my sake. Did they do this to Regulus?"

"No, no.. Reggy was their _perfect little angel_," Sirius chuckled bitterly, "He could have killed Kreacher and they still would have _praised him_, while I could never do _anything_ right.."

Arcturus grimaced at that, "That's why you started acting out in third year.."

Leaning back Sirius rubbed the tears from his face as he shrugged, "I could _never_ win, so what was even the point in trying? No.. No one _cared_ I never scored anything but an O in transfiguration, no one _cared_ how often I called that filthy stalker a mudblood, no one _cared_ how hard I _tried_.."

Shaking Sirius violently shook his head, "None of it mattered, I was nothing but a stupid Gryffindor to _all of you_, nothing I could _ever_ do would make up for something I hadn't even wanted to happen!"

"Sirius, I need you to understand I never knew about any of this.. I thought you were simply behaving abhorrently to behave that way, I can only apologise for not realizing.."

Sniffling Sirius bit out, "Why did it even matter that an old hat decided I was more _Noble_ than _Ambitious?_ Mother acted as if I had killed a man, probably would have taken it _better_ to be honest.."

Standing up Arcturus gently lifted Sirius's chin, having him look up at him.

"Your mother was _wrong_, she and my son had _no right_ to harm you in this way. I would not have allowed it even if you had been born a squib."

"But uncle Marius-"

"Was treated kindly until he was of age," Arcturus said, cutting him off as he continued, "Once Marius was of age, he was blasted off of the tapestry so no one could ever try and harm his descendants."

Seeing the confused look on Sirius's face, Arcturus sighed, "Black's protect our own, Sirius, as I have already said. Your mother did a terrible job in making you understand this."

Walking around the coffee table Arcturus ran a hand through his graying hair, contemplating how to best explain this to his grandson.

"You're under the impression that we are a cruel family, yes? That we beat our children for getting into the wrong Hogwarts house, and that we disown _anyone_ who even associates with someone we disprove of?"

Sirius meekly nodded, "Well most families don't threaten to use the unforgivables when someone upsets them, or won't do what they want.."

Arcturus sighed in exasperation, "Siri it's called _joking_. It's not meant to be taken literally-of course I realize why you must have taken it literally, but did you ever actually _see_ any of us follow through?"

Gaining a shake of the head Arcturus turned back towards his grandson, "That's because we _never_ harm family, and we do everything we can to _prevent_ harm from falling upon us. Which is where the disownment trend falls in."

Walking back towards Sirius, Arcturus retook his position beside his grandson, gently taking the boy's hand to keep him from shaking too much.

"If Marius hadn't been disowned, his descendants would have appeared on the family tapestry. Anyone who was ever invited over from that point on would be able to see who they were, gain their names.. It would have put them in terrible danger of extremists like You-Know-Who and his followers. My uncle did it to _protect_ him."

"But what about Aunt Cedrella? She was disowned for marrying a Weasley."

"A Weasley with a horrible gambling problem," Arcturus supplied, "Why the Weasleys lost their fortune.. Septimus being a muggle-lover was simply a sad coincidence, but I can assure you they would have been cut off regardless."

"What about Phineas? He simply was for muggle rights.."

Sighing Arcturus gave Sirius's hand a squeeze, "If being a muggle-lover was enough to get disowned you would have been gone by your fourth year. No, there was more to it than that.. The best way I can phrase it is that he was overly.. Promiscuous.."

Raising his eyebrows Sirius received a nod before he could even ask.

"It was necessary to disinherit him, or else the family fortune was at risk of going to any half-blood _bastard_ he drunkenly sired."

"Andy..?"

"Andromeda was a little more complicated.. She had of course had a row with her parents over her choice in suitor, and that soon got out of hand when they became engaged." Laughing to himself Arcturus shook his head, "Crazy girl blasted herself off of the tapestry 'to make a point'. Said if they couldn't bother to suck it up and be apart of her wedding, she certainly wouldn't bother to be apart of their lives at all. If your mother had bothered to explain this to you, you'd have known all of this."

Shifting through his grandad's thoughts and intentions Sirius felt his throat become dry as he realized he was telling the truth, or at least he was under the impression it was the truth.

"So.. Disownment is for protection.. Unless the disowned choose it."

Being given a nod Sirius gently wrapped his fingers around his grandad's, a funny feeling settling in his gut.

"Why did you believe I was disowned?"

"Similar reasons to Phineas, your mother claimed you were always running off with one of local muggle girls.. I assume this wasn't true?"

Sirius quickly shook his head, "Lord no, I may like to flirt but that's.. Hell, I was only sixteen why the hell would she say that?"

"Because she knew I wouldn't have approved of it for any other reason," Arcturus supplied, laughing as Sirius face dusted a light pink color.

Looking down Sirius fidgeted some, before being brave enough to ask, "What happens now?"

"_Now_ I'll have to inform the family you aren't the one who is being disowned-" Sirius snapped his head towards his grandad, much like his mother had before, "-It wouldn't do not to be able to track our family tree beyond this point."

"But-"

"Sirius, again your views aren't enough to disown you for." Arcturus reminded, "Even if they were, I'd still make an exception. It's hardly your fault no one ever sat you down and properly explain things without having a wand to your throat."

"Mother isn't going to like that," Sirius said, laughing wetly as he wiped at his eyes again.

"Your mother doesn't get a say, as she will no longer be recognized as a part of this family."

"What..?"

Rolling his eyes Arcturus raised his eyebrows at his grandson, "She _harmed_ a member of this family, _lied_ about them, and _disowned_ them for simply trying to _escape_ her abuse while they were still a _child_. How can you _not_ expect me to cast her out?"

Blinking Sirius looked down, shrugging, "I just didn't realize.. I don't know.."

"This will most certainly be an adjustment, and I can't promise no one will be bitter about seeing Burga go, but I _can_ promise you no one will blame _you_."

"Will Uncle Alphard still be disowned?"

"No.. I think not, he has no children and giving his godson money is hardly something that would put them in danger in any case. Was he aware of what was happening?"

Shrugging Sirius pulled his knees up, "I thought everyone knew.. I'm not so sure anymore, he was always kind to me though."

Nodding Arcturus rubbed Sirius's back lightly, letting him roll the information in his head some more.

"Do I have to see her again?"

"Your mother? Don't worry, I won't make you even look at _a picture_ of her if you don't want to."

Nodding Sirius took a deep breath before looking up at his grandad, "Pops is going to be upset, he always loved my mother.. Is he going to be okay?"

Smiling softly Arcturus tucked some of his grandson's long hair behind his ear, "He will be, he will just need some time. He's one of the ones who may be a tad bitter for a little while."

"You know.. I wouldn't have left if.. If it had stopped, I.. I-I just couldn't handle it.."

Grimacing Arcturus nodded, "I already know that, Siri.. I may not have approved of Dorea's boy or those people who raised him, but I'm glad they were able to help you."

Swallowing Sirius looked back up at his grandad, "What _are_ we going to do about my godchild? I know you didn't like James all too much, but.. He's still my responsibility.. and they are having him raised by _muggles_."

Taking a deep sigh Arcturus continued to rub his grandson's back, "We'll have to get in touch with MCPS, do you have any idea where he is?"

"Hagrid took him from me, Dumbledore's orders apparently.. I'm not sure what he did with him after that."

Eyes narrowing Arcturus pulled his shields back up as his mind started working in overdrive. Regardless of his opinion on the half-blood, he'd be damned if he let that muggle-lover win.

* * *

**Very long, but very fun to write and hopefully read as well.**

**MCPS stands for Magical Child Protective Services**

**In a lot of stories where Sirius must return to his family for one reason or another, the author tends to either completely ignore the fact Sirius had an abusive childhood or just pretend it didn't happen, which I don't like for obvious reasons**

**So I'm going with this middle-ground, Sirius was abused- but only by his parents**

**Also, James in this story was adopted by the Potters when Dorea and Charlus died when he was a baby. Just my personal head canon as to what happened with that whole situation, it's okay if you don't like it I'm just stating the situation to avoid confusion**

**Skeeter's arcticle will come later, this is set the night of the trial after they got home, so it wouldn't be out yet**

**Please remember to vote, comment, and most importantly enjoy!**


	6. Blacks Take Care of Our Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius must survive a family dinner

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its Characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

** **"Sirius Orion Black: The Coward of Gryffindor"** **

_ ** **Everyone knows about the defeat of You-Know-Who on the thirty-first at the hands of Harry James Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived** ** _ _._

_ ** **Rumors have been circulating since that fateful night as to what happened, how a mere baby managed to defeat the darkest wizard of all time, and- what some might fight more important- how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named even found the Potters when they were under the protection of a Fidelius Charm.** ** _

** _ **Sirius Orion Black III was who many thought to be the culprit, any doubts fading fast when Black was allegedly seen murdering twelve muggles and the late Peter Pettigrew, Order of Merlin, first class in broad daylight.** _ **

_ ** **Though** ** _ ** _ **Black turned heads when he revealed that instead of being a blood thirsty killer, he was little more than a coward who was out to save his own neck.** _ **

** _ **Black saying, "I was Scared!.. He was after them.. I didn't want to die!"** _ **

** _ **Though Black's tear-filled testimony was very convincing, many are of the opinion that Black is simply lying.** _ **

** _ **That the scion of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black is taking advantage of the incompetence of the aurors who were at the scene- who destroyed valuable evidence by snapping Black's wand in a fit of rage before confirming the spell he last used, which nullifies any and all muggle testimonies- and should just admit to his wrongdoings.** _ **

_ ** **So I suppose I'll have to ask you, is Black truly a sheep among wolves? Or has he pulled the wool over the eyes of everyone?** ** _

Sirius grimaced when he finished reading the article. _'The Coward of Gryffindor'? Really?_

"I told you, you shouldn't read that bile," Melania, who Sirius often referred to as granny, groaned. _"Skeeter_ wrote it, and she never has anything nice to say."

"I don't want to be ignorant to how the public views me," Sirius sighed, this must be been completed cosmic justice, some huge prank Jamie was pulling on him from beyond the grave.

Frowning Melania waved her wand, the dishes floating gracefully as she settled them on the dining room table. "Still doesn't mean you have to torture yourself, drive yourself up a tree if you worry about whether those muggle-lovers like you or not."

"So who's coming tonight?" Sirius asked, deliberately changing the subject.

"Everyone pretty much," Melania shrugged, "Except maybe Lucretia. The Prewett twin's funeral is tomorrow, so Tia and her husband have been trying to help Molly plan the service."

Sirius nodded solemnly, "They were good men, died fighting like heroes."

Melania sighed, tears welling up in her eyes, "I remember when they were small.. Always such sweet children, if only a little cheeky at times.. To think they.."

Sirius hesitated for a moment, before awkwardly setting a hand on his granny's shoulder. Jumping slightly when the woman wrapped her arms around him, shaking as she cried.

Sirius hadn't been hugged by her since.. Since the last time he'd seen her, the Christmas of his fourth year.

Pulling away from her grandson Melania wiped at her eyes, "I think I'm going to send Molly a care package, she might not appreciate it.. But I have to do something."

"I think she might, it's the thought that's counts anyways.."

* * *

Sirius fidgeted at dinner that night, knowing what his grandad intended to do as soon as they were done eating.

It didn't seem like anyone had realized his mother was absent- or had been absent for several days, but he supposed they must have assumed she was off sulking over the fact 'the stain of her flesh' was in her home.

Largely, Sirius desired to be absent from the room when his grandad unleashed hell upon them all. However, Sirius just didn't feel right in leaving the man to deal with the situation himself. Even if the man might've preferred it that way..

Currently, Narcissa and her Death Eater husband were discussing Lucius's upcoming trial.

"Abraxas suggests we say he was under the imperius curse, many noble families are going down that line."

His Grams, Irma, tapped her glass, nodding as she said, "My niece did the same. We were worried it wouldn't work at first, but those muggle-lovers don' know enough about magic to question it. Especially when a big sack o' gold ends up in their laps."

Tsking Sirius took a sip of his wine, muttering "Corrupt bastards." Under his breath, earning a laugh from a few of his family members.

"What can yer' expect from politicians? They don' care about our society, just making things look nice so that the public likes em'." Grams sighed, Narcissa rubbing her grandmother's back sympathetically.

"At least we benefit from it. Did you here what they're doing in France?"

Sighing, Cassiopeia- or Aunt Cassie, as Sirius called her- grumbled, "Don't remind me, honestly to think they'd let a half-breed run a school!"

Raising his eyebrows Sirius looked over at Aunt Cassie, "Hm? I don't think I've heard of this.."

"Oh honestly, Siri! You need to keep up with these sorts of things," Cassiopeia scolded, "Beauxbaton hired Olympe Maxine, and anyone with eyes can see she's got giant in her."

Shifting a bit uncomfortably Sirius took a sip of his wine, Narcissa unknowingly doing him a favor and responding in his stead:

"I worry for the children the most, who knows how she thinks? To think they'd do this right after everything that just happened."

"Probably a political statement," Arcturus offered, "A way of showing the public how they stand after staying so neutral during the war."

A murmur of agreement floating around the table, several members going back to their dinner.

"I just don't think they should use _children_ to do it." Lucius seethed, "Give the oaf a nice office if they want, but a _school_ is just asking for trouble."

Sirius shrugged, "There is a bit of practicality to it, though." Sirius tried not to stiffen when all eyes fell on him,

He probably should have kept his mouth shut.

"Explain." Lucius demanded, a vein in his neck bulging in barely concealed anger.

"What I mean is," Sirius looked up, meeting the man's eyes for the first time since the war ended, "Half-giants are more.. _Durable.._ Than us. I've seen one in action before, man didn't even have a full education- couldn't use magic- and was downright terrifying on the battlefield, took at least eight stunners to take him down and even then he wouldn't be unconscious. People might think it wise to keep one on hand, especially after the war."

"You mean as a body guard." Arcturus asked, gaining a nod from his grandson, "I see what you mean, even a little giant blood can allow a wizard to take spells that'd leave even the strongest pureblood bedridden for days."

"But to make her Headmistress-"

"Puts her in a position where she can't fuck up," Pollox cut in, "If she were simply put in as protection, she might get more slack if she behaves like a savage, since that's practically the reason they hired her. But as a headmistress a certain amount of bullshittery and ass-kissing is required for her to keep her job."

"I.. I suppose you have a point," Lucius conceded.

"It's a bit ingenious if you think about it, like that," Cassiopeia admitted, "On one hand, the school gets browny-points for diversity, and a meat shield if anyone decided to stand against it.. On the other, if she does give in to her nature, she'll suffer much larger consequences than if they had just given her a ministry desk job."

Giving a tight smile, Sirius said, "Glad you see my position."

Nodding Lucius took a sip of his wine, "I must congratulate you on your victory, most of us thought you were thoroughly screwed. So it gives me a bit more confidence when it comes to my trial."

Shrugging Sirius moved a bit of his chicken around, "I told them what the public would want to hear, it isn't very shocking that a Black would value themselves over another, so no one questioned it much."

"You're more Slytherin then we gave you credit for, shame the sorting hat put you among mudbloods all those yours ago.. Our time at Hogwarts would have been more.. _Pleasant_ had it not made such an error."

Nodding Sirius gave a sheepish smile, Narcissa groaning as she remembered what he did to their table seventh year.

"You were absolutely _terrible_, it took me _weeks_ to get the _red_ out of my _skin_."

"In fairness," Sirius said, gesturing with his fork, "That was in response to Nott. I swear I still have _glitter_ in my-"

"Alright." Lucius cut in, "I see your point, it was _mutual_. I would hope we can put aside our differences now, as we are all on the same side now."

Sirius stared at Lucius for a moment, before nodding.

"Of _course_, though I see no harm in good fun every now and then," Seeing Lucius stiffen Sirius laughed, "As long as it's done in jest, anyways. We have to keep things lively somehow."

"Trust me, Draco keeps our lives exciting enough." Narcissa sighed, "You'd think he were a banshee, always _screaming_ and _wailing_ whenever we put him down.. If it weren't for House Elves I think I'd lose my mind!"

"Just you wait," Druella groaned, rolling her eyes at her daughter, "This is the good part, trust me. Then they'll start _walking_ and _talking_, and before you know it they are _raving_ about how they don't _need_ you, start making their own _decisions-_ you'll go around the bend worrying over them!"

Narcissa nodded somberly, "I know, I just wish he'd sleep more often.."

"Well Harry used to like it when I took him for a ride- something about the bumping calmed him I think- maybe it'll help Draco?"

"Like.. On a broom?"

Shaking his head Sirius laughed, "That motorbike I had, I think a broom would have made him sick."

"That can't possibly be safe!" Narcissa interjected, "Muggles don't have anything holding their vehicles together but twisted metal-"

"Woah, _relax_. I took the whole thing apart and fixed it with magic. It's basically an oversized broom now, except I can ride it on the ground to go in muggle places." Scratching his chin Sirius sighed, "I think Hagrid still has it actually.. I'll need to ask for it back if the man hasn't already sold it."

Narcissa didn't seem to comforted by that, "Well, I think we'll just stick to doing what we've been doing in any case. I just wouldn't be able to trust anything of muggle origin."

"Well you could try an' mimic it," Irma shrugged, "If you're as miserable as you're sayin' it couldn't hurt to try. I suggest you charm a basinet to bounce him behind you an' go for a walk."

Narcissa nodded, "I might just try it, thanks Grams."

* * *

Arcturus looked over his family critically as they all settled into the drawing room, looking somewhat confused when they noticed Walburga- as the woman was still petrified- but kept their mouths shut.

Sirius, for his part, kept his head down when he walked into the room, not even able to muster up fake confidence when faced with what was about to happen.

"I'm sure you're all curious as to why I've gathered you here, the answer is simple." Arcturus began, glancing at his grandson before breathing a sigh, he wished the boy would have sat this out.

"There will be a change in disownment, as there were some wrongfulness done by one of us. I'm sure you've all noticed Walburga-" gesturing over to his stock-still daughter-in-law, Arcturus knowing full well that they had, "She is guilty of _harming_ a member of this family, _lying_ about them, and _forcing_ them to cast themselves out."

Various reactions were met by this statement, some horror, some skeptical, but Sirius couldn't help the guilty churn of his stomach as he glanced at his pops: Pollox Black was very pale, eyes watering as he gripped his wife's hand, his jaw set as he watched on like one would watch a hanging.

"I only became aware of this a few days ago, when I caught her about to use an unspeakable on the person in question. I will unpettrify her now, if only so she can witness what I'm about to do."

Sirius immediately covered his ears when his mother's screams filled the drawing room. "-UCIO!" reverberated harmlessly off of the walls as Sirius's mother gestured downwards, where he would have been had his grandad not intervened.

Blinking confusedly, Walburga looked around as she took in the shocked and angry faces of her family.

"What?.."

Her gray eyes landed on Sirius, face turning a brilliant red as her beautiful face twisted into an ugly snarl, "You! _What did you do!?_ You ungrateful, SHAMEFUL, HORRIBLE CHILD?! You _dare_ raised your wand and-"

Arcturus eyes narrowed, the woman continuing to rant before he cleared his throat, earning her attention for the first time since she was unfrozen.

"Sirius didn't do a damn thing, Burga. _I_ stepped in when _you_ attacked him, you should be grateful I didn't just kill you where you stood."

Blinking Walburga whirled on Arcturus, "_Kill me?!_ For _what?_ He _disrespected_ us, _mocked_ our Noble and Ancient House! _Used_ it to _defend_ his moronic lion ridden hide-"

"Sirius pointed out a fact about the sorting, that's it." Arcturus stated plainly, "It's a gross misconception that the sorting is solely dependent upon personality, as in reality it is also the values one has that sorts them. Sirius was telling you quite plainly why he was sorted into the House of the Brave and Noble, and I don't care if you found it disrespectful, you have _no right_ to use that spell on one of our own."

"But he's _not_ one of our own! He _left_! Off to tomcat around with mudbloods and _muggles_ like the whore he-"

SMACK! The sound of flesh hitting flesh resounded off of the walls, quiet settling in as Walburga held her affronted cheek.

"I will not tolerate you speaking about my grandson like that, _do you understand me?"_ Pointing his wand at the woman, Arcturus eyes were full of fury as he resisted giving her a taste of her own medicine, "We both know that _is a lie_, Sirius ran _from you!_ You, the woman who was supposed to _love_ and _protect him_\- only to use that blasted curse on him for any kind offense he committed."

Eyes hardening Arcturus grip tightened on his wand, "Worst part is I had to see it first hand to realize, makes me wonder how exactly you treated those boys before the sorting.. It doesn't matter now, does it? Hardly change what I'm going to do to you."

Swiftly, Arcturus flicked his wand towards the tapestry, a loud scream punctuating the blast that removed the abusive woman from their family history.

"Be glad I don't want to drag Sirius to court, otherwise I'd have had you Kissed for this. Get out of my _face_ and never dare insult me with your presence again."

Walburga looked as if she were about to say something, but cut herself off when Arcturus eyes narrowed. Giving her son one last look, Walburga Black Dissapparated from Grimmauld's Place for the last time.

* * *

** **I wasn't going to write this at first, but then felt that it would be a crime not to** **

** **I hope you like this, and how I've written the Black family so far- as it can be a bit difficult to write so many characters at once- and enjoyed Arcturus 'Pruning the Rose Bush' as Bellatrix would say** **

** **Anyways, please remember to favorite, comment, and most importantly enjoy!** **


	7. A Better Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius sneaks into the kitchens for some alcohol

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

The room was deathly silent, nothing but Arcturus's deep breaths resonated as everyone seemed to realize what had happened,

Walburga Black had been disowned.

Taking a deep breath, Arcturus glared at the tapestry before blasting his son off as well. Shooting him in his stupid, treacherous, _deceitful_ face until their was a large hole surrounding where he'd at one point been on the Black family tapestry.

Afterwards Arcturus schooled his features, "In this home we take care of our own, keep them _safe_. Let it be know that I will _never_ allow abuse to go unpunished in this house."

Turning back towards the group, Arcturus took note of the absence of his cousin- no matter, he'd find him later. Most in the room were alternating between staring at his grandson and where he had just removed a rather large stain off of the tapestry.

"Now, I'll do something a little more pleasant. As again, there have been family members who have been wrongfully cast out."

Watching his grandad wave his wand, Sirius stared a little mesmerized as he watched several of the burns fade, leaving no trace of what had been done to those sections of the tapestry. His own name shone brightly, as if his mother had never defiled it.

"I doubt any of you will have any arguments about this," seeing no one correct him Arcturus nodded approvingly, "I think we're all done here, then."

Sirius stood shakily, only to be nearly knocked over by his granny crushing him in her arms.

Squirming slightly Sirius patted the woman on the arm, not being able to say much as his windpipe was compromised.

"Melania I think you're killin' 'em," Irma laughed, ruffling his hair as his granny sheepish let him go.

Wiping her eyes, Melania sniffled, "I'm sorry Siri, it's just- I can't believe- I helped _raise_ that girl! To think she'd- I just.."

"It's alright, Granny, _breathe_. I understand, you didn't know."

"I always thought something was wrong." Narcissa grumbled, "It was always a bit strange to here you were tramping around with the local muggle girls, despite the fact I never had seen you with a witch at Hogwarts."

Grimacing Sirius gave his cousin a pained look, "Can we _please_ not call it that?"

"Well I'm certainly glad everything is back in its proper order," Cassiopeia interrupted, leaning against the doorframe as she watched the other women fuss over her nephew. "I do hope Kreacher doesn't take it too hard, he was practically in love with Walburga."

Snorting Sirius rolled his eyes, "If I didn't think she'd sell him for a few galleons I'd have half a mind to _give_ the old berk to her, nasty little Elf.."

Shaking her head Sirius could distinctly hear his Aunt Cassie whisper, "Some things never change.."

It wasn't until much later that Sirius was able to slip away. Tiptoeing down the halls that still creeped him out to an extent, intending to go down into the kitchens to see if his father's stash of bourbon might still be there.

Though walking into the room Sirius immediately spun back around when his eyes landed on the back of Pollox's head. No matter what his grandad said, he knew the man must've been _pissed_.

"You know you're louder than a banshee on stilts," Sirius immediately cringed, one foot hovering as his escape was foiled, "Stop fooling around and get your arse in here."

Swallowing Sirius turned around and, feeling like a little kid again, meekly walked over to the intimidating man who was nursing a bottle of something that was definitely not water.

Waving his wand Pollox summoned Sirius a glass, filling it with a generous amount of whiskey before downing his own once more.

Taking a seat across from his pops, Sirius awkwardly accepted the glass as he watched the man continue to throw back shots as the bottle was drained.

Raising his eyebrows at Sirius Pollox leaned forwards, "You're not drinking, you dying or something?"

"What?- er no, it's just.."

Sirius stuttered as his pops watched him expectantly, the man's face still splotchy from his previous grieving.

"I'm just.. I'm sorry," Sirius bit his lip when he felt his eyes well up, taking a breath as he tried to control his breathing, maybe a bit of alcohol would help..

"What the fuck do you have to be sorry for?" Pollox asked incredulously, "Not being immune to the cruciatus curse?"

Seeing the look on his grandson's face Pollox sighed, wiping his hand over his face.

"Listen Sirius-" Scooting his chair over, Pollox rested his hand on Sirius's shoulder, "I'm not angry with _you_, nor do I blame _you_ for what has happened."

"How can you _not?"_ Sirius snapped, shaking slightly before he steeled himself, fingers digging into his palms.

"_I_ was the one sorted into _Gryffindor_, home of the _mudbloods_ and _muggle-lovers_.. _I_ ruined this family without even _trying_, and now.."

"-And now my fuck-up of a daughter is paying for _her own_ shitty decisions in the most mundane way possible." Pollox finished, hand slipping off of Sirius's shoulder as he took the whiskey they both knew the boy wasn't going to drink, he wasn't nearly drunk enough for this.

Sniffling Sirius wiped at his face, avoiding his pops eyes as the man studied him. He hated this, he knew his pops must've been angry, furious even.. he'd barely spoken to him after his sorting, but to have raised his mother..

"You're an insecure fuck, you know?" Flinching Sirius snapped his head in his pops's direction, "I mean here I am, offering companionship and _whiskey_ and you're crying thinking I'm trying to poison you or something."

Shaking his head the man laughed, "You're just like Burga was, she'd break an heirloom and even after I magicked it back together she'd convince herself I was on the verge of blasting her off of the tapestry."

Sitting up Sirius shrugged, "I just don't see how you can just be.. _Okay_ after everything that's happened.."

"I'm not," Pollox said simply, finger running over the edge of his glass, "My daughter tortured my grandson, and now I'll never see her again."

"But you said-"

"That I don't hate you, Sirius. Fucking hell, why must I have to hate you to be sad over this?"

"If I hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor this wouldn't have happened- I caused all of it-"

"Shut fuck up."

Seeing Sirius flinch, Pollox sighed leaning on the table some, "It's not _your_ fault your mother wasn't raised right, it's _mine."_

Biting his lip Sirius laid his hand on his pops shoulder, gently rubbing it as he thought of what to say.

"Mother was.. She went a little crazy when I was sorted into Gryffindor, that's hardly your fault.. Something just wasn't right in her head, uncle Cygnus and Alphard would have been the same way if it were because of you and Grams."

"No but it is- I.. You were never told what happened, were you?"

Blinking Sirius cocked his head, answering that no, he didn't know what his pops was going on about.

"I was born in 1912, now think about when your mother was born."

"12..20..25.." Sirius eyes widened, "Merlin.."

"I just about shit myself when Irma told me I got her pregnant," Laughing bitterly Pollox leaned back, covering his eyes with his hands, "I was so fuckin' scared, didn't know what we'd do or how we'd raise a baby while we went to school."

"What did you do..?"

Looking over at him, Pollox paid no mind to the tears rolling down his own face, "Well of course our parents put the fear of God in us, I did some reflecting, and.. After a few weeks, I grabbed my balls and an engagement ring and made Irma a promise, that'd I stick by her through it all."

Looking down at his wedding ring Pollox sighed, "Woman drove me crazy at times, prophet even more so- it was quite a scandal at the time- but.. but it hardly seemed to matter when your mother was born."

Pollox stared sadly at his empty glass of whiskey, "It was hard at times, both Irma and I had school to finish, so Walburga was taken care of by other members of the family for a majority of the year in the beginning.. Maybe if I'd have dropped out, took tutoring instead, she'd have had her head screwed on straight, be more like her brothers."

"Mother.. Pops mother may have had an.. Unconventional childhood but, you did your best. It wasn't like she grew up unloved or uncared for, she just didn't get to see you often."

Sighing Pollox wiped his cheek, "I promised myself the day she was born I'd _protect her_, make sure nothing happened to her but.. But I can't.. Not- not from this.. There isn't a fucking thing I can do to help her out of the shit she's buried herself in."

"It's still not your fault," Sirius insisted, "I realize this doesn't help you.. But.."

Sirius sighed, biting the bullet, "Muggle parents don't always live near where they work, and because they can't travel like we can they may have to leave their children with relatives for extended periods of time. But those muggles don't end up the way my mother did, not anymore than kids who have parents stick around. Sometimes.. Sometimes people just do horrible things with no logical explanation."

"I wish I could believe that, I do.. it's just.. I know I could have done better, said no to certain things or yes to others. Paid closer attention to her.." Wrapping an arm around Sirius, Pollox sighed, "I should go find Irma, she'll be running out of anger soon, and will need me sober enough to cry on."

Getting up Pollox rolled his shoulders, bones popping as he straightened. Heading for the door, Pollox stopped before saying, "I mean it Siri, don't go thinking being Gryffindor warranted this."

Nodding Sirius gave his pops a smile, watching the man he felt he knew much better walk off to comfort his wife.

* * *

**Lots of emotions going on here, I'm sorry if you're not into mushy stuff**

**Anyways for some reason most people write Pollox as this hard-ass grouch with a stick up his ass just because he spawned Walburga, despite the fact he had a kid at 13 and also spawned uncle Alphard whom I refuse to believe was anything but a cool guy**

**So I'm doing something different, hope you like him so far**


	8. Meeting the Dursley's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius and his grandfathers take a trip down to Number 4, Privet Drive

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Sirius relaxed as he let his granny pull his hair back, tying his hair off with a black ribbon before kissing his temple.

As much as the woman had fretted over him previously, Sirius had been somewhat shaken by how much the woman hovered over him after his grandad had blasted his mother and father off of the tapestry.

It had been a few days since then, and Sirius was still getting used to seeing his own name shining brightly once more.

Since their respective talks, his grandfathers had been working with MCPS to track down little Harry, and now had a solid idea of where he might be.

"Thank you," Sirius murmured as he softly kissed his granny's cheek, "I look muggle enough?"

Wrinkling her nose the woman laughed, "Couldn't look muggle if you tried, though you certainly would fool one of them."

It was true enough, any wizard worth his salt would be able to recognize his heritage by just glancing at him. Though that wasn't to say Sirius dress shirt and slacks would look out of place in muggle London.

"Thanks, will you be alright here with Narcissa? I know she's been going a bit bonkers, what with Lucius's trial coming up."

"Oh I'm sure she'll drive me absolutely mad, that is if her mother doesn't do her in first. Here," Laughter in her eyes, his granny gently pulled out a few strands of hair, shaping his face quite nicely. "Now you best get a move on before Pollox changes his mind about this."

It had already been decided that since the family they suspected had Harry was muggle, they wouldn't reveal that they were wizards.

Walking down the stairs Sirius gave his grandfathers a sympathetic smile, while he may have been comfortable enough in most muggle apparel- he knew for a fact this was killing the two old men to an extent.

"So you didn't choke on Macmillan's perfume in there. Fuck. Well, Arcturus it seems I owe you a new hat to help hide those grey hairs you insist aren't there." Pulling up his jacket Pollox stood and made his way over to the front door, calling over his shoulder, "Let's get a move on, ladies!"

Shaking his head Arcturus rolled his eyes, "Least I _have_ hair."

* * *

After leaving Grimmauld's Place, the Black men begrudgingly took the Knight Bus all the way to Surrey, Little Wringing.

Sirius followed the two older men into the little neighborhood, Arcturus trying but failing to mask his disgust at being in a _muggle_ village. Pollox, finding this rather amusing, kept jabbing his cousin in the side whenever he noticed something particularly boring and ordinary, revelling in the facial expressions he received from the man.

Sirius tried to suppress a grin as he watched the two, it reminded him strongly of what he and Regulus had been like before..

Shaking his head the Black heir looked around, taking the place in: Sirius supposed it was a nice place, if a little fake feeling. Everything felt almost a little _too_ neat for his tastes, it gave him a bad feeling..

Arcturus walked up to the door of Number Four, Privet Drive- swatting his cousin away as the man tried to steal his hat- before knocking on the door as if he wasn't surrounded by absolute _children-_

At that moment the door opened, revealing a rather horse-faced woman, who blinked at the three men in confusion before putting on a fake smile.

"Can I help you?"

Flashing a charming smile Sirius put his hand out, as he knew his grandfathers would not be comfortable making the pleasantries.

"Hi, I'm Sirius, and these are my grandfathers-" He said gesturing to the two older men, who couldn't have possibly looked old enough to be his grandfathers to the muggle woman, "-You may have heard of me already. See, I'm James' older brother, may we step inside?"

The woman's eyes had widened as soon as James' name had left Sirius' mouth. A look of disgust and fear settling onto her face as she backed away from the door, managing to stammer out, "You're.. You are.. you're _one of them_..."

Sirius shared a look with with his grandfathers, a silent conversation happening within seconds.

"'One of them?' What nonsense are you spouting woman?" Arcturus bit out, obviously already not liking getting a taste of his own medicine.

Mrs. Dursley eyed them cautiously, "You.. You must be! If you're _his_ brother," Shaking here head she continued, "Lily said once it runs in families.."

"I'm afraid I was adopted actually.. So hereditary doesn't work with me. Again, what are you talking about?"

At this Petunia allowed herself to relax somewhat, had he not been told? She supposed it was possible.. Had that awful boy not told them all about that horrid school, she may have eventually forgotten all those freakish things her sister had been able to do..

Petunia had been so preoccupied with her momentary relief of Sirius' supposed adoption (which wasn't a total lie, mind you) she managed to completely overlooked that Sirius' grandfathers could very well still have still been magical.

"Nothing.. Nothing.. Would you like some tea?"

Sirius smiled and nodded, stepping inside he took in the nice, neat house. He didn't hear any crying, so that must have meant Harry was down for a nap. That was good, least the boy would have energy to play when he saw him.

Mrs. Dursley set right to work on getting the tea prepared, biscuits out, and served in record time. Most certainly in hopes they'd forgive her previous behavior.

Stirring his tea, Pollox spoke up for the first time since they had entered the muggle home, "Is your husband home?"

Mrs. Dursley shook her head, "He just left for work a little while ago."

Nodding Sirius took a biscuit, "He works with cars, doesn't he?"

Mrs. Dursley smiled and nodded, though her lips became slightly pursed, "I suppose Lily told you that?"

Sirius nodded, eyes becoming glassy as he spoke, "Yes she did, I miss her something awful."

Arcturus reached over an gently rubbed his grandson's back, whispering something in his ear that was unintelligible to the muggle sitting across from them.

"Yes, it's a shame she died. Did they tell you what happened?"

Sirius, being the product of several generations of Slytherins, was a very good liar, if he should say so himself.

Being the stellar liar he was, he let his lip tremble as he bit out, "They died in a car crash, what else is there to say?"

"It's a shame, really. At least their son survived." Arcturus sighed, Pollox resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the two.

"I- yes of course, I just didn't know how much you knew yet. It's only been a few weeks after all."

"We understand, the boy is just having a hard time is all."

Taking a sip of her tea, Petunia sighed as she nodded, "Understandable, I wasn't particularly close to my sister, but I still feel sick anytime I think.. It's just so sad."

Looking up Sirius wiped at his eyes, nodding at the muggle infront of him, "The funeral will be in a few days, given my family is arranging it we felt it best to come ourselves to invite you."

Petunia seemed to relax, as if another worry had been put to rest, "I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it. My son, you see, is only a year and a half and I just don't trust anyone else to watch him."

Cocking his head to the side curiously Pollox asked, "Is Harry not with you?"

Bristling, Petunia shook her head, "I'm afraid her son isn't here."

Arcturus shared a look with his cousin, gently running his hand along Sirius's spine.

"That is a shame, see-" Pollox said, leaning back in his chair as gave an over dramatic sigh, "Sirius here is his legal guardian now, as he was the boy's godfather. Sadly, someone fucked up and handed the boy off to someone else after the accident. We're trying to track him down right now."

Meeting the woman's eyes Pollox narrowed his, "You're sure you don't know anything? Not a fuckin' clue where our boy might be?"

Shaking slightly Petunia shook her head, "I-I'm sorry, I wish I could-"

They all heard a crying sound, it sounded like it was coming from another room in the house.

"It looks like someone's woken up, if you'll excuse me for just a moment."

Naturally, when Mrs. Dursley was out of sight the three wizards immediately walked out of the kitchen in search of wherever the fuck Harry Potter was.

They barely had to take two steps for this to be answered, as the men practically froze when the saw Petunia frantically fumbling with a lock that was on the cupboard under her stairs, a wailing sound resounding from within.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I'm pretty happy with it**

**The decision to go muggle was a practical one, as Sirius is aware of Petunia and Vernon's aversion to magic (just not how far they'd go because of it) so pretending they aren't is just the smart thing to do if he is going to get Harry without a lot of fuss**

**Btw I've made an account on AO3 with my EXACT username on here, just making it clear that it is my account if someone sees it. If you see an account posting my story with a different username please let me know**

**Anyways please remember to like, comment, and share!**


	9. Services

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius resists committing murder

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Sirius felt his heart stop, time itself seemed to have frozen as the two parties in the room just seemed to stare at each other.

Finally, Arcturus seemingly gathered his senses and marched right over to Petunia. Grabbing her roughly as he slammed her against the wall.

"I take it we'll find the boy in there?"

Trembling Petunia swallowed thickly, "He's.. He's.."

"Grandad, I can't get this to unlock, can you..?"

Turning to Sirius, Arcturus gave his wand a wave and unlocked the cupboard under the stairs, where as expected, Harry Potter lay. Before turning back and stunning the horrified muggle.

Reaching forwards, Sirius gently scooped his wailing godson up and into his arms.

"Shh.. It's okay... It's okay, I'm here.." Gently, Sirius rubbed his godson's back, doing his best to soothe the child as he stood up and faced his grandfathers who were discussing what to do with the woman.

"Those filthy muggles deserve far worse, we might be able to have them tried in our courts if we use the relations act of 75'."

"Yes, but the act of 03' would give them a lighter sentence due to them being muggle.. We'll still need to get muggle law involved regardless.."

Trailing off Arcturus looked over at his grandson, "Is the boy alright?"

Looking down Sirius gently brushed his wild hair back, the boy's sobbing having quieted down somewhat, "I don't think he's in any serious danger, might need a bath and some food, but he'll live."

Giving an approving nod Arcturus turned his head back towards the filth beneath his feet, "What do you think, Sirius? Half a sentence in Azkaban or a full term in muggle prison?"

Looking at the woman Sirius snarled, "I'd kill her if I thought I could get away with it. Harry is an important person in the wizarding world, whether I like it or not, so we might be able to use his status to get them a harsher sentence in our courts."

Grinning Pollox clapped him on the back, "Gryffindor you may be but you still think like a snake, I think that'll be best. You go get the boy changed and fed, we'll owl the ministry so that they'll be ready to transport them after they go through the muggle system."

* * *

Walking up the stairs Sirius looked around, opening doors until he managed to find the Dursley's bathroom.

Setting Harry on the counter, Sirius rolled his sleeves up before removing the dirty old onsie his godson was trapped in. Dropping the thing on the floor Sirius braced himself for when he removed the lads nappy, knowing full well it must've been rather full.

Harry for his part was still crying, but now he was reaching up wishing to be held again. Sighing Sirius bit the bullet and took the rank thing off his godson's bottom.

"Ew.. Can't believe they made you sit in this, you'll probably have a rash.."

Turning the shower on Sirius got right to work, Harry's cries turning to sniffles as the filth and grime was removed, obviously feeling loads better.

A few minutes later saw Sirius bouncing Harry on his hip as he entered the muggle nursery, gently setting him on the changing table as he went about drying his hair some more.

"I'm sorry you had to stay here," Sirius said, getting a new nappy out for the lad, "It's my fault really, I should have never let that oaf Hagrid take you from me. I promise I won't do it again."

Sirius was just putting baby powder on his bum when he heard a gurgling sound behind him, whipping around Sirius locked eyes with the blue-eyed child who was standing in the crib behind him, reaching out for the stranger to pick him up.

"You must be the muggles son.." Sirius tried to glare at the giggling child in disgust, before sighing in defeat, "Suppose it's not your fault 'yer mum's a right bitch."

Finishing with the diaper, Sirius lifted Harry back in his arms and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "That's much better, isn't it?"

Harry sniffled, burying his face in his godfather's shoulder.

Sirius sighed, gently rubbing the boy's back. Reluctantly, Sirius set Harry in the crib beside his cousin, before squating down to at eye level with the bigger babe.

"Can I trust you with Harry while I make your lunch?"

Being answered only in baby-babble, Sirius straightened back up as he examined the nursery more closely, "Now then, where would that muggle hide your food.. Might be in the kitchen, actually.. Damn I need to get a new wand.."

Scratching the back of his head Sirius starting searching. Eventually, Sirius found it after he went back downstairs (informing his grandfathers about the muggle baby) before he came back up with two bottles.

Sirius didn't know exactly what he was expecting to find when he came back up, but he hadn't expected to see Harry floating the toys around the crib for his cousins entertainment. He was almost tempted to leave them as is, as they seemed to be having a grand ole time.

Setting one of the bottles on the changing table, Sirius picked Harry up -which resulted in the fluffy toys losing their ability to fly- and let the lad get down to work on the bottle.

The muggle boy gave a slight cry, reaching for his own bottle to no avail.

Smiling, Sirius messed up his blond hair, adjusting Harry as he said, "Don't worry, you'll get yours in a minute."

Puffing out his cheeks the muggle boy smacked the hand away, fussing as he fell back on his bum. Looking over at the bottle the boy lifted his hands in a similar manner that his cousin had before and, like magic, the bottle started wobbling over to him.

When Sirius finished making sure Harry was fed and burped, he turned back around and almost dropped the lad when he saw the muggle boy had somehow gotten his bottle.

"How did you.." looking back to the changing table Sirius cocked his head, did he get out and grab it..?

Sirius's pondering was halted when the nursery door was thrown open, his pops barging in to inform him that, "The Ministry owled back, everything's set up. Now we only need to figure out how to get the muggle cops here."

Smiling Sirius adjusted Harry as he gave a nod, "I'll be down in a moment to help, once mister Mystery is done with his bottle anyways."

Looking over at the blond lad Pollox gently petted his head, much like a dog.

"You know, I've never actually met a muggle before today. I don't really see what you see in them."

"Well most are more pleasant than that harpy." Sirius said crisply, "Otherwise I think I'd have actually joined the Death Eaters."

"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it, for now."

Hearing his cousin call for him, Pollox rolled his eyes, shouting "I'm coming, dear!" Before heading back down the stairs.

Setting Harry in the crib, Sirius pick up the now full blond, looking at him curiously.

"I don't see any bruises.. Then again I can't see much of you.."

Poking the boys cheek Sirius sighed as the baby laughed. Maybe Harry had magicked it over to him..? Settling the Mystery-Boy on his hip, Sirius looked over at his godson, who was now sleeping softly in the crib.

"I think I'll leave him here for a little while, couldn't have slept too well under the stairs. I'm not sure if I could have carried you both down the stairs in any case. Let's go see your bitch of a mum, yes?"

Walking down the stairs Sirius could hear talking, well perhaps more like shouting, coming from the kitchen,

He supposed the muggle must've woken up.

Walking into the kitchen he could see the woman was sitting in a chair- most likely not out of her own free will- with both of his grandfathers wands pointed at various vulnerable parts of her body.

"So you feel being magic is a valid reason to neglect my nephew?" Pollox asked, voice icy as he stared down at the woman.

"He's a freak, you're all _freaks_.. It's not natural, we never even wanted him in the first place!"

Sirius brows forwarded, "Why would you take him, then?"

When Mrs. Dursley locked eyes with Sirius she turned a violent shade of white, "My baby! Oh God.. You're cursing my Dudley now!? You despicable _hapless_-"

Eyes narrowing Sirius shifted 'Dudley' in his arms, so that the wiggling baby couldn't work his way out of his grip, "I haven't done a damn thing to your kid, and while you may see nothing wrong with harming children, I'm a little more noble than that."

Taking a step forwards Sirius face started to turn red, "Now again I ask, why the bloody hell would you take my godson in if you were only going to hurt him?"

"It was the Headmaster of that horrid school!" Petunia sobbed, "Just left him on our door, wouldn't take him back or hear why we didn't want him, _forced_ the demon upon us!"

"He's not a demon." Sirius hissed, "He's a child who depended upon you to take care of him, how the hell can you live with yourself knowing you've done this?"

"HE'S NOT JUST A CHILD HE'S AN ABOMINATION! _Freaks, dirty and rotten!_ Have no right to exist along side us _decent_ folk-"

Sirius whined at the sheer volume of her voice, memories of his mother's tirades flashing in his mind as she ranted. Shaking his head Sirius glanced down at 'Dudley' and almost laughed, the poor boy was covering his ears!

Sirius looked over at his grandfathers, Arcturus in particular looked pale as he stared at the muggle woman.

Suddenly their was nothing but silence in the air, as if God himself had come and blessed this home. Then the Black men all gave a collective sigh, before they realized..

"You didn't cast Silencio, did you 'Tori?"

Shaking his head Arcturus eyed the woman as she started frantically trying to get a sound out, but still nothing but silence was heard.

"Sirius is a little old for accidental magic.. You don't.."

Looking over at the boy in Sirius's arms Pollox' eyes widened.

"His aunt had magic, so it's definitely possible.. Sirius did you notice anything?"

The realization struck Sirius like a blugder to the face, nodding as he confirmed, "I couldn't feed them both at the same time, so.. Dudley got a bit upset, and when I looked back he had gotten the bottle in his hands somehow."

Looking back down at the boy in some amazement, Sirius couldn't help but feel bad when Dudley started reaching for his mother, only for the woman to recoil back, staring at him as if he were now something horrible.

It wasn't long before the cops arrived, and everything might have turned out fine had it not been for a certain blue-eyed-fuck.

* * *

**Yes I know I suck for giving y'all a two parter, but alas I don't wanna write a monster chapter and will have no choice but to split this up some**

**Yes Dudley is magic here, not entirely sure what will happen to him because of this. I don't think it's a wild leap for him to be muggleborn, as even if he had been originally his parents would not have sent him to the 'freak' school, much less said anything about it.**

**In any case, I hope you liked this chapter. Please remember to favorite, comment, and most importantly enjoy!**


	10. Services pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People get arrested, a service is had, and a plan is made

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me."

"Excuse me?" Arcturus asked incredulously, staring at the officer as if the man had grown another head.

"Calling the law unjustly is a crime in of itself, but to break in and manhandle someone's kids is another thing altogether. Now turn around and come with me quietly, you have the right to remain silent."

Right then and there they all knew something was up.

Arcturus gave Sirius a hard look when he started to resist the cop who was trying to take Dudley from him, telling him in no uncertain terms to stand down as they handed the lad to his horrific mother.

Pollox rolled his eyes when the cops took him to another squad car, giving Arcturus a long-suffering look that clearly read 'The things I put up with for you' as he was loaded up.

Sitting in a cop car, Sirius fiddled with his chains while his grandad was loaded in next to him, somewhat surprised the man hadn't hexed anyone yet.

When the muggle vehicle started up Arcturus jumped, tensing and holding onto Sirius's hand despite himself.

"I reacted the same way, don't worry too much." Sirius said, before grinning, "Even if the thing crashed, it'd have to kill us instantly for it to really matter."

This didn't seem to relax Arcturus much, but after a few minutes of not ending up in a car crash, the man seemed to calm somewhat.

Several minutes later the older man finally spoke up again, "When that.. When that muggle woman was screeching in there.."

Sirius turned his head to look at his grandad, listening as he spoke, "I couldn't believe my ears, is.. Is that how we sound to you?"

Blinking Sirius bit his lip as he nodded, "Sometimes, I guess it really isn't that different, is it?"

"No.. I suppose not."

Looking over at their chauffeur Sirius shrugged, "I'm not going to judge you, you know."

Sighing Arcturus leaned against his seat, "Why did you question it? I mean, I realize you were surrounded by.. _Them_, but.. What really made you realize that we might be.. Wrong?"

"Honestly? I got my ass beat in second year, Lily broke my arm along with my perspective on the world that day."

"She.. Broke your arm..?"

"Well.. To be fair, I did spit on her." Sirius admitted sheepishly, "Sometimes I wonder why Jamie put up with me.."

"And it changed your perspective how?"

Turning to his grandad Sirius smiled, "She outdueled me, and I didn't know how to explain it at the time. Purebloods were supposed to be naturally superior, so how come I lost? It.. It made me more receptive to what everyone else was saying, which was being pureblood didn't inherently make you better, just gave you a headstart."

Brows forwarding slightly Arcturus sighed, leaning against Sirius as he let his mind wander, his world had been a lot simpler only a few hours ago.

* * *

Arcturus didn't even bother looking shocked when Dumbledore showed up, he should have fucking known. He watched the two-faced bastard as he waved his wand, the muggle guarding them eyes widening before he went and unlocked their glorified cage.

Sirius sighed in relief, rubbing his wrist as he turned to his old Headmaster in barely concealed panic, "Professor! Thank Merlin you're here, something's horribly wrong with the muggle law system! They thought _we_ were in the wrong for helping Harry and the muggles son, and they just handed them back to them! We have to-"

"Do nothing." Dumbledore finished, Sirius frowning as he looked at the man like a confused puppy.

Arcturus eyes darkened, "You really expect us to leave our own flesh and blood in an abusive situation?"

"You're merely over-exaggerating, the boy is fine." Dumbledore said serenely, the muggle seemingly unaware of them now, "He's much better off in their care."

"Better off!?" Sirius's face turned red, "To hell he's better off with that wench for a mother! They had him _locked_ under the _stairs_ sitting in his own _filth!"_

"I've seen no evidence of that, the boy seems perfectly happy where he is."

"Let's go back then!" Sirius marched towards the door, "I'll show you where-"

"That won't be necessary, he's fine."

Pollox saw red, "How can you just sit there on your arse and fucking ignore this? I would have thought the Headmaster of motherfucking school would want to ensure a child is not having the shit beat outta him!"

"One would also think the Chief of the Wizengamont would want to ensure a suspects alibi lined up. Something tells me if I were to suggest the jury reconvene after looking into the imperius curse, it would be very bad for those on trial."

Sirius's eyes widened, was Dumbledore actually...?

"I agree, that would be unfortunate for them. I suppose we are just overreacting about the half-blood, come Sirius- we have more _important_ matters to discuss," Arcturus said, his features becoming steely.

Sirius looked distraught for a moment, about to object before his pops put his hand on his shoulder. Pollox shook his head a mouthing, "later"- which effectively shut up his grandson.

In fact it wasn't until they were back at Grimmauld's Place that Sirius next spoke up, as soon as they walked through the door- which would have dispelled any and all listening and spying spells- he started,

"You didn't mean that, right? We're _not_ leaving him-"

"Of course he didn't," Pollox said, setting his muggle coat on the hanger as he enlightened those less intelligent in the room, "But we can't just go in their half-cocked and expect to walk out with any but our tails in between our legs."

Arcturus took his hat off as he sighed, "We'll have to be smart about this- Dumbledore is a bastard, but he's nothing if not thorough."

"I'll call the others."

"Do _not_ inform the Malfoy's or Druella about this." Arcturus said strictly, whirling on his cousin, "We _cannot_ risk them messing up whatever plan we decide on just to save their own skins."

* * *

Cassiopeia paced up and down the drawing-room, the words sinking in.

"This is a declaration of war- and not the fun type with murder and violence- the kind that leaves a sour taste in your mouth whether you win or lose."

Lucretia frowned, "Surely there's something to be done, Dumbledore must be breaking at least six different laws with what he's doing."

"If you want to send the other Noble Houses to Azkaban, sure." Pollox sighed,  
"Dumbledore wouldn't be worth practically wiping out every major pureblood line."

Sirius shrugged, leaning forward, "I mean, we're all intermarried anyways.. So it's not like many will really die off, is it?"

Cassiopeia stopped abruptly, whirling on her nephew with fire in her eyes, "Say that again."

Looking a bit confused, Sirius repeated, "Most pureblood families would still exist through us, since we've married into most of them at some point."

Slapping her hands together, Cassiopeia grinned wickedly, "Sirius you're a bloody genius!"

Irma eyes narrowed as she looked at her sister-in-law, "What're you two going on about?"

Sirius's eyes widened, obviously realizing where his aunt was going with this, "We're all Intermarried."

"What does that have to do with-.. Oh, I see."

Grinning Cassiopeia waved her wand, summoning a big book, "Laws dictate that half of the Wizengamont be made up of the Lord's and Lady's of the Ancient and Noble Houses, if most of the heirs were to be jailed.."

"We'd be given a significant amount of power in the parliament.." Pollox said, eyes widening somewhat, "Our vote would be worth-"

"A quarter of the Wizengamont, at least." Arcturus finished, a smirk resting upon his features, "Dumbledore's threat is only as good as our loyalties to the other Noble Houses."

And as everyone knew, Blacks only looked out for themselves.

"So obviously we're calling bullshit," Pollox said, "But I'd hate to _actually_ have to sacrifice all those purebloods for my nephew."

"Not to mention it could take a long time to get him out, if we have to deal with the Chief Warlock breaking the law to keep him from his rightful guardians," Lucretia pointed out, earning a nod from Sirius.

"Those muggles are abusive, hate magic to their cores. I can only imagine what they're doing to him."

"Still doesn't answer how we're going to get the blue-eyed-fuck to fold."

Sirius's eyes lit up like it was Christmas, "I think I know a certain old lady who might have some dirt on the Headmaster, anyone up for a trip to Godrics Hallow?"

* * *

Sirius looked at himself in the mirror solemnly, though dressed in all black- veiled so as to not attract attention to himself- he knew he'd still feel out of place,

Who wouldn't at their brother's funeral?

"Are you ready?"

Looking back at his Aunt Lucretia Sirius shook his head, "I don't think I could ever hope to be ready for this.. Let's just get it over with."

Offering the woman his arm, they both turned on the spot and apparated to a little alleyway in Godrics Hollow.

Adjusting her nephew's veil, Lucretia led the boy towards where the funeral was to be had. Wishing she had also worn a veil, when she saw how many reporters had dared showed their faces to such a sacred event.

Slipping into the back, Lucretia rubbed Sirius's arm as the service began.

* * *

The wake was to be held at Bathilda Bagshot's place, being a good friend of the Potters- and by extension, Sirius- she was thrilled when Arcturus had asked if she'd like to host the event, more out of politeness than an actual desire for her to do so.

Nevertheless, it was rather convenient now, in Lucretia's humble opinion.

Greeting the ancient woman at the door, Lucretia shook Bathilda's hand, "Thank you for doing this."

"Oh it's no problem dearie," Bathilda said, waving her off, "I should be thanking you, really. I have just felt so lost since everything happened, everyone out celebrating, while I can't help but feel miserable.."

Shaking her head Bathilda smiled wearily, "Is Sirius not with you? Rumor has it he's made up with your lot- and everyone's saying he didn't bother to show for the service."

Lucretia discreetly nodded her head, motioning to where Sirius had sulked off; still not wanting to cause a scene.

"He's under the veil, Sirius was worried he'd distract from what was really important today if he didn't come disguised."

Sighing Bathilda looked in his direction mournfully, "I understand it, those sniveling rats infested the service in hopes of getting an interview with him.. Shameful bunch, the lot of them!"

"Merlin knows how they sleep at night.. I don't mean to keep you, I should probably go find Sirius before someone realizes who he is."

Bathilda gave Lucretia a sympathetic nod, "Come find me after I'm done greeting everyone, we can talk somewhere a bit more private.. Plus I'd like to have a word with Sirius, let him know I don't blame him for being afraid. People seem to forget we _all_ were."

"It would mean a lot to him, I worry so much about him.. I know he must hate himself for everything that happened."

Mrs. Prewett then disappeared into the party, another puzzle piece falling into place.

* * *

After the service, the Black family reconvened in the dining room that night.

After going over what Lucretia and Sirius had managed to get out of Bathilda, the more creative members of their family wrote up a little 'encouragement' which would ensure Dumbledore comply with their demands, lest they send the documents to the press.

It was not until early the next morning that the plans were set into motion, Arcturus setting off to Hogwarts to settle this once and for all.

"Be sure to come back in one piece, you here?" Melania fretted, smoothing his hair as she leaned up and kissed him softly, "I wouldn't put it passed that old muggle-lover to try something."

"Don't worry, Mels. I'll be careful, and he wouldn't try something when we've gotten this on him. He'd know we've made copies."

Sirius leaned against the doorframe, looking miserable as he watched the two, "I wish you would let me come.."

"I won't be risking you or this plan with you being there, now come wish me luck."

Still putting up an effort to seem unhappy, Sirius sulked over and buried his face in his grandad's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around the older man, quietly whispering "Be safe," before turning and running off as if he hadn't done it at all.

Smirking Melania sighed, "I'll keep an eye on him, he's been so busy he's hardly had time to grieve."

"Have him help you in the kitchens, he used to love it when he was a child."

"He was so cute," Melania said, remembering how tiny her grandson used to be, "Always insisting on carrying the big stuff so 'Granny's arms wouldn't get tired'."

Cupping Melania's cheek Arcturus smiled softly, "And that time he accidentally dropped that carton of eggs, and turned them all into chicks."

Laughing Melania leaned into her husband's touch, "I still find feathers in the cabinets!"

Kissing his wife's forehead Arcturus sighed, "I have to go now, You've stalled me long enough."

Frowning Melania nodded, "I love you."

"And forever will I."

* * *

**Again I realize I suck for doing this, but the chapter is getting a bit long and I feel this is a good place to end this**

**I am really enjoying being able to write more of the Black family in, I hope you like everyone so far or at least love to hate them**

**I hope you're all excited for what's going to go down with Dumbledore and the fate of Harry and Dudley**

**Anyways as always please remember to like, comment, and most importantly enjoy!**


	11. Services pt 3, The Final Service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arcturus doesn't hold back when it comes to getting even

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Dumbledore always considered himself a rather clever man, some would even go as far as to call him a genius.

It was this cleverness that allowed Dumbledore to succeed, accomplishing tasks that many wizards only dream of nearing.

Though this cleverness and genius was not without its drawbacks, and one drawback was being able to see everything more clearly than everyone else, see the bigger picture. This tended to weigh heavily on the old man's mind.

But Albus Dumbledore was up to task, he was willing to do what needed to be done for the greater good.

That's why when James Potter insisted on making Black-- who anyone with eyes could see was in leagues with Voldemort-- his secret keeper, Dumbledore started preparing for his inevitable betrayal. Simple wards, just enough to tell him if the occupants of the house were alive or not, something someone like Voldemort would have overlooked when he came.

It was those wards that had alerted Dumbledore when the young couple had been killed, which enabled him to send Hagrid to fetch Harry Potter before anything more could happen to the lad.

Everything had been well then; Harry was safe and away from a world which would idolize him, Black was going to pay for his murders, and his master was (if only temporarily) defeated. That is, until Arcturus Black showed up and demanded his grandson a trial.

Obviously, Dumbledore had immediately prepared for the worst: Black being free and coming after Harry to avenge his master.

That's why, with the boy's protection in mind, Albus had set up wards to alert him if Black showed up in Little Wringing, knowing the man wouldn't have thought to check the town itself.

He was rather glad that he did, as it most certainly saved the boy's life.

Black and his grandfathers had managed to find little Harry, terrorize his muggle family, and called the cops on them.

Luckily, Dumbledore hadn't taken long to come to the boy's aid. Though, Albus was temporarily slowed down when he had to intercept an owl heading for the ministry, which sadly resulted in the Blacks being able to ring the muggle cops. But, with a little magical persuasion, this too hadn't been much of a problem.

Of course, he felt bad the boy was being neglected-- and it shocked him that Black seemed to care about this at all-- but that didn't change the fact that the boy was safest in their care. It wasn't as though Harry had anywhere else to go.

Dumbledore had previously been hoping to keep what he knew about the imperius to deal with Lucius Malfoy when his son went to school, but it was paramount that he neuter Lord Black and his Death Eater spawn to keep them in line. It was as the bigoted Lord had said, it just wasn't worth ending so many pureblood lines for his grandson's hate-boner.

That's why Dumbledore was rather shocked to find the man sitting in his chair behind his desk as if he owned the damn thing.

Settling his gaze on Dumbledore, Lord Black raised his eyebrows as he said, "Albus, I'd say it's nice to see you but I'm afraid it would be a lie, you aren't very easy on the eyes I'm afraid."

Taking his feet off of the other man's desk, Arcturus gestured towards the visiting chairs, "Please, take a seat. Have a lemon drop, we have much to discuss, you and I."

Playing along, Dumbledore sat down.

"I'm sure you're trying to figure out why I'm here, maybe even have a few guesses." Arcturus began, looking nonchalant as he put the matter on the table, "But to put it frankly, you've pissed me off"

"Have I?" Dumbledore asked innocently, already feeling like he knew where this was going.

"Yes, you have." Arcturus answered, much more coldly.

Arcturus stared down at Albus Dumbledore, a man which would learn what it meant to insult a Noble and Ancient House the hard way.

"Firstly you tried to deny my grandson a trial, then you did not ensure him a fair one." Face darkening Arcturus glared a hole in Dumbledore's crooked nose, "Then, not only am I to learn you've stolen his godchild-- who he is the rightful guardian of-- but you've gone through great lengths to try to prevent us from rescuing him from the abusive muggles you've given him to."

Standing, Arcturus leaned forwards, towering over Dumbledore, "I have half a mind to drag you to court and have you tried for child endangerment, kidnapping, and gross obstruction of justice."

Seemingly calm, Dumbledore gave Arcturus a serene smile, "Arcturus, you seem to forget your position. If you were to do that you'd not only need proof that I've done these things, but it would also bring light to the full extent of the imperius curse on its victims."

Giving the old man a wicked grin Arcturus stood tall, laughing as he said, "You really are an idiot, aren't you? Have you not realized what kind of position that would put my family in?"

Nodding Dumbledore smiled, "You would be one of the last pureblood families in all of great Britain."

Leaning forwards Arcturus spoke, quiet enough for it to be mistaken for a whisper, _"Exactly."_

Staring at the man infront of him, Arcturus sat back in his chair smugly.

"Section: 3-68! If a Noble family has no descendants to take their seat in the Wizardgimont, the family's closest next of kin first through blood- _then_ marriage- will be allowed to take their mantel." Giving Dumbledore a nasty grin Arcturus cackled, "And we're all interrelated."

Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle as the words sunk in, "You're not serious! You would let all those people-"

"Go to jail in exchange of political power? Albus, you seem to misunderstand _why_ blood purity is important to my family, it's always been about the politics."

Tossing his hair back Arcturus grinned at the Headmaster, "This is what's going to happen, either you get out of my way, or I'm going to _ruin_ _you."_

Taking a gentle breath Dumbledore met the man's eyes, "You have no proof I've done anything wrong, only one instance where I've come to rescue you from yourselves."

"Don't I? Check underneath your seat, I'll wait."

Arcturus watched in barely concealed amusement as the old man grabbed the article out, eyes widening dramatically as his face lost color.

"How did you..?"

"That's not important, Albus. What is important is that you do as I say."

Swallowing Dumbledore looked up, meeting the eyes of the man he'd learn to loath more than The Dark Lord himself.

"What is it that you want?"

Giving the man a bored look Arcturus raised an eyebrow, "I think you know."

"I can't allow you to have Harry Potter," Dumbledore said defiantly, "I won't be letting you or your damned grandson harm him."

Eyes flashing Arcturus hissed, _"Never insult my grandson._ You really think he's the type of man who'd hurt a baby? _Really?"_

The silence was deafening, and Lord Black saw red.

"Let me make myself absolutely clear," Arcturus spat, "My grandson for some unknown reason _adores_ that boy. _Sirius_ is what's important to me, and I will damn any number of people to make him happy."

"So you'll allow him to-"

"Raise a half-blood? Of course I would."

Dumbledore grimaced, "So he aims to raise him as the next Dark Lord, am I correct?"

Arcturus's left eye twitched, "He could be raising him to be the next _Babbity__ Rabbity_ and it would be none of your cock sucking business!"

Dumbledore shook his head, looking at the article mournfully.. This would ruin everything..

"Harry Potter cannot be raised among wizards-- he'd be worshipped, and horribly spoiled. I understand Black may not care, but _I_ certainly don't want The-Boy-Who-Lived to become some entitled pseudo-pureblood."

"Again, how my grandson raises that boy is _none_ of your concern. My family will be perfectly capable of protecting and caring for Harry Potter."

"Your family are exactly those who would wish to harm him," Dumbledore snapped, "Even if Black has it in his mind that Harry is his dark master, that still will not stop others from coming after him!"

"We will deal with it," Arcturus said crisply, "Let it be known I have no specific qualms with going about this _the long way."_

Arcturus stood, walking around Dumbledore's desk as he drawled, "Gaining all that power, the 'savior' of the wizarding world, _destroying_ _you_.. Everything I could ever want, _the only reason_ I'm even _bothering_ to do this at all is because of Sirius. As again, _he_ is what's important here, and _he_ would like to have _his_ child as soon as possible."

Setting his hand on Dumbledore's shoulder, Arcturus bent down and whispered in the older man's ear, "Remember, one toe out of line and that paper you're holding goes public. I don't care who you drag down with you."

And with that, Lord Black stepped into the fire place and left the Headmaster's office, leaving the man feeling a lot less clever than he had previously.

* * *

It was night in Little Wringing, Surrey. Cricket chirping in harmony as the little neighborhood all seemed to settle down, lights turning off as everyone went to sleep.

Under the cover of darkness a man walked down the street, using a knife to unlock the door of Number four, Privet Drive.

Silently, Arcturus made his way through the muggle home, following the sounds of muffled crying until he was infront of the cupboard that was underneath the stairs. Using the same knife, Arcturus unlocked the bolt, gently trying to shush the two boys who were now crying more loudly, having been locked in here for who knows how long without any attention.

"Shh.. It's okay, I'm taking you away from here." Picking Harry up first, Arcturus gently rocked him for a moment, before setting him in an enlarged basinet which he'd be perfectly comfortable in until he was reunited with Sirius.

Sighing Arcturus picked the bigger baby up, grumbling to himself, "Look at yourself, 'Tori. Sneaking into muggle homes and stealing mudbloods, what would your father say?"

The blond boy giggled, obviously finding Arcturus's midlife crisis rather amusing. Reaching up, Dudley ranked on Arcturus's long hair, earning a wince from the man.

"You're lucky you're cute.."

Leaving the enchanted basinet near the front door, Arcturus made his way up the stairs. Quietly searching for the muggle sleeping quarters. Not taking very long as there were only five rooms upstairs.

Arcturus watched the muggles sleep with unhidden disgust, whatever anyone wanted to say about him or his biases-- at least he could say he'd never abused or mistreated a child because of his beliefs.

Which was why Arcturus felt no remorse as he gripped the hilt of his knife and slit the muggle man's throat. The fat oath eyes snapped open, unable to scream as blood pooled around him as he gurgled and gasped for breath, his thick blood splattering everywhere as he fought for breath.

Vernon Dursley died within minutes.

Turning towards the horse-faced woman, Arcturus wiped the knife on the sheets as he considered her. The woman had barely stirred as her husband twitched lifelessly, not even noticing she'd just become a widow.

Arcturus blatantly slashed through her pencil-like neck, the bitch barely being able to scream as her cries faded to desperate whimpers as thick blood erupted from her wound in unseemly spurts. Staining the walks and carpet of the home she had previously worked so hard to keep clean.

Petunia Dursley soon went limp.

* * *

**The** **Dursley's are dead :D Harry is on his way to Sirius, and Dudley is free from his abusive parents. What'll happen next?**

**Yes Dumbledore truly believes Sirius is a death eater, too often in these stories Albus is either portrayed as a saint or an evil child abuser-- I think a man doing the wrong things for the right reasons in far closer to what he was in canon, and even if it wasn't I don't see it often enough**

**Let me know your guesses ** **and** ** what you think will happen now, especially interested in what you think I should do with Dudley, and please remember to like and share, but most importantly enjoy**


	12. The Tapestry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius becomes a father

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Arcturus Black was glad everyone else had gone home, as he didn't particularly want to deal with people right now.

Summoning Kreacher, Arcturus gave him orders to give the boys a bath and bring them up to the drawing-room to await further instructions. Then, Arcturus stalked up to one of the many bathrooms, mindful not to touch anything. You see, he was covered in blood.

By the time Arcturus was done decontaminating himself, Kreacher was already waiting for him.

Kreacher didn't mind this, however, as taking care of children was one of the more enjoyable jobs a House Elf could be given. The two babies had just finished their bottles when his master entered the room.

Turning quickly Kreacher bowed to his master, pointed nose brushing the floor as he gave his reports, "I has washed the young masters and fed them as master has instructed of Kreacher."

Nodding Arcturus glanced at the two, playing with blocks that Kreacher had given them, "I order you not to tell anyone about this."

Kreacher nodded profusely, "No one will know because of Kreacher, no sir. Kreacher will keep master's secrets safe!"

"Good, now I need you to go fetch Sirius from his quarters. Then go tell my daughter 'everything is in place'."

"Yes master, right away. _Kreacher will fetch the blood traitor for his master."_

Kreacher popped away before Arcturus could reprimand him, leaving the man swearing under his breath.

* * *

Arcturus could hear the distant sound of bare feet padding down the halls, signaling the impending arrival of his next headache.

Sirius soon ran into the drawing-room, his hair sticking up in a way only a pillow could accomplish as he asked somewhat frantically, "Little berk told me you wanted me, did you-"

"Paf'!" Quickly answered the heir's most pressing question, eyes brightening as Harry lifted his arms up for Sirius to pick him up.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Sirius breathed as he scooped Harry up, "I swear I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

Harry, while not understanding what his uncle was saying, was happy to hear him talking regardless. Babbling, he grabbed at Sirius's hair as the man held him close.

Shifting his weight, Sirius asked, "He folded? Dumbledore I mean."

"I think the muggle-lover just about keeled over when he saw your handy-work." Arcturus informed with a grin, "He won't be bothering us for a while."

Sirius grinned into Harry's hair, "It was one of my better masterpieces, if I do say so myself."

Sirius walked over and took a seat besides Arcturus on the couch, kissing Harry's forehead as he settled the lad in his arms.

Watching the two Arcturus closed his eyes, "You remember what we talked about, right?"

Jaw clenching, Sirius gave a nod, "I suppose you haven't thought of anything else, either?"

"I'm afraid not," Sighing Arcturus laid a hand in his palm, "You-Know-Who's followers would come running if they knew Harry Potter was here, and after what happened to the Longbottoms I hardly want to test our luck."

Running a hand through his hair Sirius glanced at the tapestry, where James' name had once been before he'd been adopted out of the family, "You're _sure_ no one knows?"

"Hardly anyone knew Polaris Black went on to become James Potter," Arcturus assured, "I still don't see why the Potters told you about the whole thing."

"I was really messed up when I had to leave home," Sirius explained, defending the people who took him in, "I felt like a burden to them, like some sort of horrible leech.. The Potters wanted me to understand they truly saw me as a son, and blood didn't effect anything.."

The Lord sighed, "I suppose it was mostly their secret to tell, in any case it makes this easier; I'd hardly want to have to explain that whole ordeal to you."

"It did take me awhile to really wrap my head around it," Sirius admitted, "But once I thought about it, James was always too attractive _not_ to have some Black in him."

Rolling his eyes Arcturus pulled out some papers, "You'll need to decide on a name before I welcome him back, I hardly want the Tapestry to out us."

"I was thinking something that sounded like Harry," Sirius suggested as he leaned back, "You know, so I could still use it as a nickname."

Arcturus raised his eyebrows, "What were you thinking? Henry?"

Sirius shook his head, "No, that was his great-grandfather's name. I'm not stupid enough to think no one would draw a connection there."

Lifting Harry up, earning a laugh from the boy, Sirius gave him a once over, "He certainly doesn't _look_ like a Harold though.."

"Why not just pick a celestial name?" Arcturus asked, voice laced in barely concealed amusement, "It _is_ a family tradition, after all."

"The closest I can think of to Harry is Hadar, and that doesn't quite suit my cute little godson."

"You don't have to pick a name close to Harry," Arcturus reminded, "It's just your preference."

Ignoring his grandad, Sirius bounced Harry on his knee as he scanned The Black Family Tapestry. Looking to see if any of his ancestors names seemed to strike his fancy, when something occurred to him.

"You know, it's been a while since we've named anyone after a planet," Sirius began, looking over the tapestry as he pointed this out.

"Well Jupiter doesn't quite roll off the tongue as well as Cepheus or Rigel," Arcturus said with a shrug, "What were you thinking of naming him? Pluto?"

Holding Harry out, Sirius smirked, "Pluto _is_ just another way of saying Hades, isn't it?"

Groaning Arcturus ran a hand through his hair, "Dear Lord I've given him ideas."

"It's enough like Harry!" Sirius defended, "Plus Hades Black sounds badass, I know Jamie would have approved."

"I suppose it's better than Hadrian.."

"Oh Hadrian would make him sound like an absolute _prat."_ Sirius agreed, "Like hell I'd saddle him with that!"

Rolling his eyes, Arcturus laid the official adoption papers on the table, "You're clear on what you are to tell people?"

Shifting Harry to one arm, Sirius grabbed the quill his grandad offered him, "He's biologically my second cousin, but I felt compelled to adopt him as my son because of my damned Gryffindor nobility."

Lip twitching Arcturus asked, "What are you to say if someone asks who his parents were?"

"Haven't the foggiest," Sirius said automatically, signing the last of the papers elegantly.

Arcturus smirked, "So what's it feel like to be a father?"

Flushing, Sirius readjusted Harry as he replied honestly, "As if I've been entrusted with the most wonderful, yet terrifying creature on this planet."

"I felt the same way when Tia was born," Arcturus admitted, "She was so small, and I was sure I'd break her somehow."

Shaking his head, Arcturus rolled up the legal work, "Well in any case, I suppose were just about done here."

"Any plans for the muggleborn baby?" Sirius asked suddenly, realizing the boy was still on the floor, playing by himself.

"I've met with a couple already," Arcturus explained, "Before I went to fetch him, they'll be here any minute to collect him."

"Oh.." Sirius said, pulling the front of his shirt down some, "Who are they?"

Arcturus rolled his eyes at his grandson, "Just your Aunt and Uncle, so you needn't worry about your lack of proper attire."

Flushing Sirius fixed his expression, trying to look unbothered as he asked, "Not that I'm complaining, but why would they want him?"

"Tia has had trouble conceiving for a while now. She's always wanted children, so I knew she'd be more than happy to help us with our dilemma."

"They don't mind his blood status?"

"Hardly, you know the Prewetts have been for muggle rights for a few decades now. Part of the reason Lucretia married him, I think. She follows your line of thinking to an extent, so long as the mu.. _muggle-spawn_ respect our culture."

"I never knew that," Sirius admitted, "And no one cares she's a blood traitor?"

"Didn't we already go over this?" Arcturus seemingly asked rhetorically, "I'm sure Lucretia and Druella have had their share of fights over the nonsense, but no one's ever tried to kill her if that's what you're thinking."

"No it's just- I'm just still getting used to things is all," Sirius sighed, "I'm glad for it all, mind you. I don't know what'd I'd have done without all of you."

Smiling, Arcturus gestured towards Harry, "I think your prisoner wants to escape."

"Huh?" Looking down Sirius realized Harry was trying to wiggle free, and as soon as Sirius set him back on the floor he crawled back towards Dudley.

"I'm glad they'll grow up together," Sirius admitted, watching the two begin to play, "Harry will need as much familiarity as possible."

"I know I shouldn't have to tell you this, but under no circumstances are you to tell him or anyone else he's not a Prewett." Arcturus stated with his usual strictness, "No one needs to be able to figure out we kidnapped the boy."

Eyebrows forwarding Sirius glanced towards the tapestry, "But wouldn't the Tapestry make it obvious he isn't? He isn't actually related to us like Harry is."

"I might not be able to remove anyone without damaging the tapestry, but that hardly means I can't add whomever I please."

"Oh.. Wait is-"

Suddenly a loud crack filled the air, cutting Sirius off. Looking over his shoulder the young heir grinned widely at his Aunt, who was looking uncharacteristically nervous as she smiled back at him.

Ignatius settled his hand on his wife's shoulder, "Everything went alright, I hope?"

Standing up, Arcturus nodded, "No one caught me sneaking in, and I've ensured the muggles will never come looking for the boy. He's yours to keep."

Lucretia's eyes watered when her eyes landed on the babe, who would soon be her child. "He's beautiful.. Can I?.."

After being given a nod Lucretia walked over and gently picked Dudley up, holding him close as she ran her thin figures through the lad's blond hair.

Wrapping an arm around his wife, helping her cradle their boy, Ignatius whispered in her ear, "So what do you think? Ceres or Sirrah?"

Eyes crinkling Lucretia gently kissed her son's forehead, "Ceres Ignatius has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"It's perfect."

* * *

**Lots of things happening in one chapter**

**I was very tempted to have Sirius name him Hadrian just to fuck with y'all, but the idea of a Black without a celestial name bothered me to no end tbh**

**What do you think about the fact Arcturus and Sirius are just embracing the fact Harry is Dorea's grandson? I thought about a few different ways the Blacks might deal with the fact most of their friends would want to kill Harry Potter, and this was the least crackish**

**Yes I gave Dudley over to the Prewetts. I did give other options some thought, but ultimately I felt Lucretia deserved the chance to be a mother :)**

**While I'm thinking about it, how many chapters do you guys want to spend in baby-land? How many time skips would you like to have before we get to Hogwarts?**

**Anyways I hope you like this chapter, please remember to like, comment, and share!**

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	13. A Very Serious Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius discusses his living situation

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its Characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Waking up the next morning Sirius almost forgot he was sharing his bed with his godson. Adopted son, if you wanted to be technical about it.

The boy in question was currently on his newly adoptive father's back, playing with his long hair. Sirius gently rolled his shoulders, sending a laughing Harry tumbling back onto the bed.

Grinning Sirius scooped him up, "We have a big day ahead of us, you and me. First, you'll be meeting some family today. I imagine you're about to have your cheeks kissed off by a very lovely old lady."

Being answered with a happy laugh, Sirius pulled some robes on and brushed his teeth. Letting Harry brush his hair (rather poorly, he might add) before pulling it up in a ponytail.

Grinning in the mirror Sirius turned his attention to Harry, "I look good enough to be seen with you?"

"Paffy!" Harry squealed, not yet being able to say much more than Sirius's nickname, which had irritated James to no end at one point.

Kissing his forehead, which was still unfortunately marred, Sirius said, "I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

Sirius wasn't surprised with how fast he caught his granny's eye when he walked into the dining room, taking a seat besides her as he tried to figure how to situate Harry.

"I suppose this is little Harry Potter, then?" Melania asked ruffling the boy's wild hair.

"I have no idea what you mean," Sirius sniffed, "This is obviously my baby cousin, Hades Polaris Black,"

"Ah yes," Melania laughed, "I don't know how I could've been so mistaken."

Smirking Sirius looked at his granny, "I can't thank you enough for this, you realize."

Eyes softening Melania shook her head, "Sirius you're family- Hades is family. I'd tell any kind of lie to keep you both safe."

"Well.. It's technically not a lie," Arcturus pointed out, walking into the dining room as he said, "He really is Dorea's grandson."

"Well anyone with eyes could see that," Melania stated matter-of-factly, "Everything from his skin tone to those uncontrollable curls is Dorea, only thing missing is her silver eyes."

Smiling Arcturus wrapped an arm around Melania, "Remember when she tried to use a muggle machine to straighten her hair?"

"I'm just glad the girls didn't set her head on fire," Melania huffed, before breaking down into a fit of giggles, "Honestly, I'll never understand what would drive a woman to put a hot iron to her head!"

"Sounds like a woman who'd birth James," Sirius grinned, "Sleakeasy doesn't do much for short hair, you see, since it works mostly by eliminating friz.. Well, one day Jamie learned about this muggle thing called a 'perm'."

"Which is?"

"It pretty much just changes your hair type, straight to curly, curly to straight, that sort of thing." Sirius explained airily, "So anyways, James is getting this perm, right? Well it doesn't work quite right, and instead of being straight- like mine- it comes out being more wavy and mismatched."

Melania snickered as she leaned into the table, "I guess it's a official, nature has it won."

Arcturus shook his head, "How did you fix it?"

"Can't," Sirius said knowledgeably, "He had to wait a few months for it to grow out, 'course we made fun of him for it til' then."

Running his fingers through Harry's curls Sirius's smile vanished somewhat, they had teased James a lot, hadn't they? As if they had all the time in the world to make it up to him- that was just how they were, Sirius knew. James, Remus, and the backstabber had had their fair share of laughs at his expense-

"Cassie owled back by the way," Arcturus informed as he grabbed some toast, interrupting Sirius's train of thought. "She's agreed to keep the whole 'Getting Harry'-thing a secret, she'll call him Hades from here on out."

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief, "That's everyone then, I'll have to give her my thanks next time I see her."

"Probably won't be until Christmas," Melania said, "She's working on some project in one of her labs, so I suspect she'll be busy the next few weeks."

"Potions or Runes?"

"Both I think, She tends to use the runes when she brews, doesn't she?" Melania answered, grabbing a fork out of Harry's hand before he poked his eye out.

"Think she'll tell us anything?" Sirius asked, moving Harry up and into his arms so he couldn't knick anything else from the table, "Last thing I heard she was working on was an invisibility potion."

"Which turned into a reflection potion," Arcturus recalled, "Which was promptly patented as a Blinding Draught."

"Which quickly became famous among the aurors for its effectiveness against dark wizards," Melania added, sipping on her juice.

"Which lead to it becoming illegal due to how many innocent bystanders suffered cornea damage," Sirius finished, "I remembered Alastair talking about that, I just hadn't known Aunt Cassie was the who had made it."

"Yes well she's managed to make a real Invisibility Potion by now," Arcturus informed, "She's kept it to herself this time, doesn't want anyone getting her work outlawed again."

Sirius raised his eyebrows, "Think she'd tell me how to make it?"

"You'll have to ask her."

* * *

After breakfast, Sirius took Harry into the den to play. Currently, he was trying to help the boy learn to walk properly, holding Harry by his little hands so he could toddle around easier.

Arcturus watched them from the doorframe, trying to hold in his laughter whenever Harry lead Sirius into the coffee table.

"I've got the salve," Arcturus finally announced, holding up the bag. The contents being meant to deal with the diaper rash Harry had sadly developed in the few weeks he'd been in the hands of those filthy muggles.

Sirius smiled grimly, getting up and taking the ointments. "How long did the healer say I had to use it for?"

"Three days, should be completely gone by the fourth."

"Could be worse, I suppose," Sirius grumbled, it still infuriated him to think about what those muggles had done to Harry.

Settling back on the floor, Sirius managed a grin when Harry waddled over to him. Babbling, Harry's bright green eyes shone as he hopped into his adoptive father's lap. Pressing his face into Sirius's chest as the strange man sat down across from them, smiling at the little boy.

Gently adjusting Harry, Sirius gestured to Arcturus, "You two haven't properly been introduced, have you? Harry this is my grandad, grandad I believe you are familiar with Harry."

Laughing Arcturus shook his head, "You think he understands?"

Shrugging Sirius glanced down at the curious child, "I like to think he does, he at least seems to remember who I am."

"Paf'!" Harry squealed in confirmation, reaching up and patting Sirius's cheek.

Arcturus raised an eyebrow, "I think he might be a bit confused.."

"Huh?- Oh!" Sirius eyes widened, realizes it sounded like Harry was calling him 'Papa'.

Sirius hesitated for a moment, he knew as much as he wanted to trust his grandad, he just couldn't tell him certain things. They just weren't his secret to tell, afterall.

"It's short for Padfoot," Sirius said carefully, "It's a nickname Jamie gave me in school.'

"Padfoot? Do I even want to know what kind of frivolous tale is behind that?"

Sirius shrugged, "Probably not, I doubt you'd approve."

Raising his eyebrows Arcturus studies him closely, "And since when did my approval matter to you?"

Sirius's face started to turn red, but for once it wasn't because he was angry, "I.." Turning away Sirius held his head up haughtily, "It doesn't!.. I just.."

"Don't want me to nag you?" Arcturus offered, smiling knowingly at his grandson.

Sirius snapped his fingers with a hurried nod, "Yes. That.."

Coughing Sirius looked around, searching for something to change the subject. Harry had left his lap, and was currently toddling over to a chair decorated with metal snakes.

"I wonder if my lease is up yet.."

"Lease?"

Looking at his grandad Sirius shrugged, "For my flat, it's where I live."

Arcturus frowned, "You can't honestly want to go back to whatever shack you were holed up in, you have a child for Merlin's sake!"

Feeling his cheeks grow hot Sirius grumbled, "Well I can't stay here."

"Why not?" Arcturus asked, raising his eyebrows at his grandson, "It's our ancestral home, after all."

"Yeah but.. I'm just not comfortable here is all." Sirius admitted meekly, "It's just.."

Seeing his grandad motion for him to go on, Sirius sighed. Hunching in on himself somewhat, he felt as though he'd eaten a mouthful of doxies.

"Sirius," looking up Sirius met his grandad's silver eyes, "I'm not going to judge you, you know."

Swallowing thickly Sirius nodded, fiddling with the hem of his robes as he whispered, "Sometimes it's just.. When I'm alone, sometimes it feels as though _she's_ still here... Like I'm still _there_.."

Trailing off Sirius buried his face in his hands, feeling his chest tighten up. What was wrong with him? He barely noticed his grandad saddle up beside him, Arcturus wrapping an arm around him.

"I know it doesn't make much sense," Sirius mumbled weakly, "It's just a house.."

"No, I understand what you mean," Running his fingers through Sirius's silky black hair, Arcturus sighed, "I'm sorry.. I didn't really consider how many awful memories you must have here, but I should have."

* * *

** **Think of this sorta as a follow-up, answering some questions that didn't fit into the last chapter like "Why won't anyone realize Harry's James son?" or "What about the other Blacks? They knew they were going to get Harry"** **

** **Sirius still wouldn't be very happy in Grimmauld's Place, Azkaban or not. It honestly boggles my mind whenever I see someone have Sirius willingly settle down there, did you not see how miserable the place made him?** **

** **On that note, where do you think he should live? I was thinking Romania, or some other place with nice foresty areas** ** ** **. Remember, with floo and apparration there really isn't too many limits on to where I can have them settle** **

** **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please like, comment, and share :)** **


	14. Like Lightning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An invitation to Malfoy Manor sparks some anxiety over Harry's scar

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot.)**

* * *

Arcturus and Sirius spent the next few days looking around for a realtor, only taking a break once Arcturus was owled into the Wizengamont to sit through the final trials.

In fact, Arcturus wasn't back for several hours. Walking in through the floo, the older man almost contemplated just popping off to bed before dealing with the matter at hand, but alas, it was too important for his sleep to dare getting in the way.

Knocking on Sirius's bedroom door, Arcturus waited until he was heard his grandson allow him in before entry.

Sirius was in bed, Harry in his lap, and a picture book opened before the both of them. Looking up he flashed his grandad his usual grin.

"Did the trials go okay?"

Nodding Arcturus ran a hand through his hair, "I suppose, Selwyn was the only one who got sentenced."

Sirius's eyebrows forwarded, "Did she not go with the imperius?"

"She went with it, but she got too specific with what she remembered." The Patriarch explained, "Everyone else was very vague, so it was obvious even to the muggle-spawn among the jury that she was lying."

"Such a shame." Though Sirius said that, he didn't sound very sorry for the Death Eater at all. "I suppose Cissy's happy, then?"

"Quite, that's actually why I'm here."

Looking up at his grandad Sirius realized he was stiff, a seriousness in his posture that revealed something was going on.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's not so much _wrong_ as it is a _complication_," Rubbing his forehead, Arcturus took a seat at the edge of Sirius's bed, "Abraxas has invited us to his home to celebrate his son's pardon, and it would hardly do to leave Hades at home like some sort of secret."

Sirius groaned, "And we still haven't come up with a way to get rid of his scar."

Nodding, Arcturus trailed his fingers lightly over the black mark on the child's skin, "We'll have until Sunday to figure something out. I'm sure our library will have something."

* * *

"Hmm well the dittany didn't work.."

Currently, Sirius and his grandad were sitting in the library, deliberating how to best cover up the scar that distracted from his cute little boy's face.

"I suppose it'll at least look cool if we can't get rid of it," Sirius murmured, looking at the thin and jagged scar, "It looks a bit like a bolt of lightning."

"Probably a cursed wound," Arcturus grumbled, "Which means there isn't a way to heal it."

"I guess I could just transfigure his face a bit.." While that might have seemed like the obvious choice, Sirius hadn't wanted to do that. It wasn't a long-term solution, and it wasn't without a bit of risk.

"It'll have to do for now," Arcturus said, closing the book he had been pouring over.

"Could we transfer it?"

"..What?"

Sirius looked over at his grandad, "Transfer it, we can't make the scar disappear- but could we move it?"

Humming Arcturus stood up, walking over to grab another book in the Library, "Accipere _can_ be used to move fresh wounds from one willing person to another, but I don't know if it'd work on a scar.."

Looking at Harry, Sirius puffed his cheek out, "Would it hurt him?"

"You aren't actually-"

"I don't mind having it," Sirius cut in, a resolved expression settling on his features, "I'm his parent now, that's about sacrifice.. I suppose it'll end up on my forehead?"

"Probably," Arcturus sighed, "I can't believe you're actually considering putting the mark of _death_ on your face-"

"It won't look _bad,"_ Sirius insisted, "Pretty metal actually- I just don't want it on Harry. He'd hardly be able to have a normal life if people are able to out him as The-Boy-Who-Lived with a glance."

Arcturus rubbed the bridge of his nose, honestly, this had to be the stupidest thing he let his boneheaded grandson talk him into..

* * *

Accipere involved a bit of prep work, and some runic power, but it was a simple enough spell for someone like Arcturus Black.

Waving his wand around Harry's head, Arcturus muttered the incantation under his breath. When the scar glowed red, Arcturus turned his wand on Sirius, the same red lights emanating from his grandson's eyes as the final words of the spell left his lips.

Sirius blacked out for a moment, feeling suddenly like he was choking on death itself. A heavy darkness suddenly plaguing his mind, rapidly sucking him into a deep and _bottomless pit of-_

Feeling a tap on his cheek Sirius gasped out, his head throbbing as he sat up. Coughing as someone helped sit up- when had he fallen? Sirius shook his head, it didn't matter- before a shining light filled his eyes.

"-Irius, Sirius can you hear me?"

Blinking into the light Sirius squinted, vision blurring as he looked around.

Swallowing Sirius nodded, "Yeah.. Did it work?"

Sighing Arcturus rubbed the bridge of his nose, "No, not that I thought it would."

Sirius tried to stand up shakily, only to be forced back down by both gravity and his grandad's hand. Looking around Sirius laughed.

"What's so funny? You fell unconscious- Do you find giving me grey hairs amusing?"

Shaking his hear Sirius looked over at his godson, squinting as he cleared his vision some, "I think Harry inherited his daddy's eyesight, I can't see shit."

Arcturus, for his part, found nothing funny about this, "Great! This just bloody fantastic.. I'll have to call a healer, can't risk someone attacking you at St. Mungo's..."

Shrugging Sirius tried standing again, with similar results, "Better me than Harry."

Arcturus looked over at the boy who was sleeping calmly. As if a darkness had lifted from the child.

"I suppose.. Least glasses aren't too abnormal in our family, your Aunt Dorea wore them just as her son had."

Nodding Sirius reached up, wincing as his hands ran over his still-smooth-forehead, "Just like Jamie.."

* * *

Sirius looked over when the floo roared, and while he hadn't initially thought his vision was that bad, he'd clearly been horribly mistaken. There was no way _she_ was here.

Andromeda looked over at her perplexed cousin, "Arcturus tells me you've had a decline in vision."

Nodding Sirius shifted uncomfortably, "It started happening during the war, but St. Mungo's was so busy keeping victims alive.. My reading glasses could wait."

Raising her eyebrows Andromeda clicked her tongue, settling her bag on the coffee table. "While I suppose that is surprisingly _noble-_ It was also incredibly _stupid!"_

Sirius smiled cheekily, "I am a Gryffindor, doing dumbs things for good reasons is an occupational hazard."

Sighing Andromeda rubbed in-between her eyes, "Let's just get this done, I have other rounds to make."

Waving her wand purposely around Sirius's head, Andromeda took note of the readings carefully- disappointed as she was in the boy, he was still her favorite cousin.

"Well you're lucky, this doesn't seem to be anything serious," Andromeda said, lowering her wand. "Sometimes the eyes just change as the skull gets bigger, it's why children typically need a change in prescription every few months or so."

Sirius nodded, "James used to have to go up to Pompfry to have an adjustment every now and then. Do I need to get some frames or..?"

Andromeda shook her head, "I brought a few pairs for you to pick from. You are of course free to go get something more stylish, should your tastes as Heir Black require it."

Sirius grimaced, "Andy-"

"I don't want to hear it." Andromeda cut in, "Just pick a pair so I can go meet with my other patients."

Sighing Sirius dug through the bag, he should have realized that with his reinstatement in the family, he'd be one of the people Andromeda didn't want in her life.

* * *

**Harry not having glasses is a strange trend in a lot of these stories, I don't mind this itself, but there usually isn't a reason given unless it's a blood adoption fic. As if the Dursely' were just so ugly Harry's corneas couldn't cope and gave up**

**So I decided to have it makes sense, and act as a consequence Sirius suffers for messing with the horcrux (since it wouldn't make sense for him NOT to try to get rid of the scar until it bit him in the ass)**

**Anyways, I hope you like this :D**

**I plan to have the first time-skip after a few more things happen. Certain characters still need to be introduced and plot points laid down, plus Sirius still has some people he needs to see before I move on from here**

**Please remember to review, like, and share!**


	15. Dinner at Malfoy's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's first test as Hades Black commences

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Sirius yawned tiredly as he buttoned Harry's robes up. Looking over his boy's currently-smooth-forehead with a satisfied smirk.

Today was their first real test, as the Malfoy's had invited them over for dinner.

With Harry ready, Sirius walked into the bathroom and sat him in a little muggle bouncy seat that Lily had gotten him. After making sure Harry couldn't escape, he stripped down and got into the shower.

Sirius moaned as the warm water hit his skin, cascading down his back like molten _bliss--_

It was sad, Sirius knew that. But after going a week without a solid night's rest, a bit of hot water felt like heaven itself was raining down on him.

But as all good things must end, Sirius soon had to get out. Lifting his son up and out of his bouncy-seat-thing, Sirius walked back into his room, not bothering with a towel.

"The Malfoy's are an uppity bunch, so I think I should wear something a bit nicer," Sirius lamented as he looked through his closet, which was now filled with a mixture of his and Regulus's old robes, "Maybe something green, match your eyes.. How about this one?"

Harry giggled, reaching out for the embroidered silk that Sirius held out.

"You approve? Well then, I simply must wear it. Maybe I'll ask granny to braid my hair, what do you think?"

"Tink!" Harry exclaimed, happy to repeat the word his 'Paffy' had been using around him so often. Sirius grinned widely.

"Yes, 'Think'! Can you say it again?"

"Tink!" The boy repeated, laughing merrily when Sirius lifted him up and spun him around until the world blurred together.

Settling the boy against his bare chest, Sirius blew into his neck, laughing as his victim squealed as though he were killing him.

"Stah!"

"Okay, okay, I'll give you mercy." Sirius couldn't help but laugh, Harry really was learning to talk!

Setting the boy back on the floor with his toys, Sirius smiled, "Still think those robes are okay?"

"Tink!"

Sirius grinned widely as he started to get dressed, he knew Jamie would be incredibly proud.

* * *

After greeting Abraxas at the door, Sirius followed his grandparents into the the dining room with a natural grace, Harry settled on his hip.

Raising a dainty eyebrow, Narcissa asked, "So the rumors are true? You've gotten a child?" While Sirius settled the lad in a high-chair, which as expected was decorated in snakes.

Most eyes drifted over towards the two cousins, Sirius shrugging as he himself took a seat, "I've adopted one, yes. I suppose Aunt Cassie was the bird in your ear?"

"Druella, actually." Lucius rolled his eyes, Merlin forbid anyone else take the credit, "Is he really Dorea's grandson?"

"I'd hardly go around introducing him as part of the family if he weren't." Arcturus stated, face darkening, "It's not a hard thing to check, if you absolutely _must_ be certain of it."

"There isn't the need," Narcissa cut in before Lucius could take the bait, "Anyone with eyes can see he's Dorea's. Isn't that right, mother?"

Taking the hint, Druella nodded. "He does look like her, doesn't he?"

"That's what I said," Melania chirped, "He'll be her spitting image when he's older, I'm sure of it."

"Except his eyes," Sirius smiled, "I recall you said Auntie Dorea's were grey?"

"Silver darling, there _is_ a difference."

Sirius sighed, "I can't imagine what it would be."

"Well I don't see why his eye color matters much," Dorius Nott, a thin and ferrety-looking man, voiced. Intertwining his spindly fingers as he leaned forwards. "Hardly changes things, does it?"

"We're just talking, love." Melania rolled her eyes, "Why must you always look for trouble?"

"I just can't help but find this suspicious." Nott said with his usual haughtiness, "Siri-kins just isn't the kind of bloke to long for children, much less adopt one."

"What are you implying?" Arcturus asked, a certain amount of warning in his tone. "What _else_ do you suppose happened?"

"Well I wouldn't be surprised if what Walburga said held some truth to it," Nott drawled, ignoring the now panicked looks his friends were shooting him, trying to convey in no uncertain terms, "Bad idea! Abort! Abort dumbass!"

_"'Held some truth to it'?!"_ Sirius shouted, shooting to his feet.

"It's your word against hers," Nott replied, as if it were obvious. "You, who I've never known to be anything other than a troublesome little boy, who often lied to get his way. Why should I believe _you_ over a good friend of mine?"

"So you're accusing Hades of being my bastard then?" Sirius asked indignantly, face turning red. Whether from pure rage or the nature of the accusation.. Remains to be seen.

Nott didn't seem perturbed by this, or the murderous looks being directed his way by the other Blacks in the room, "What was the muggle term that scar-faced half-blood used to use? Oh yes, 'if the shoe fits'."

Sirius struggled for a moment, torn between grabbing someone's wand and murdering Nott with magic or his bare hands.

But that would be too easy, wouldn't it? Suddenly Sirius's expression relaxed as did his resolve.

"You know what?" Sirius sneered, "Fuck you."

Nott sputtered for a moment, obviously having expected some sort of screaming fit in response, before managing, "Ex.. Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Sirius practically towered over Nott now. Leaning over slightly just so he could casually look down his nose at the man, "You've insulted not only _me _but the _entire_ Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. My grandad has already offered to allow anyone foolish enough to call him a liar to check Hades parentage for themselves, or are you just too incompetent to brew a simple paternity draught?"

Nott's face became blotchy, "I'm--"

"I think Sirius has made his point, Dorius." A new voice drawled, "Stop picking fights you can't win."

If Sirius didn't know better he would have thought his grams had just sauntered into the room. Irene Crabbe just looked like her aunt, save for Crabbe's resting bitch-face.

Nott promptly shook off whatever blistering Sirius had just given him, a sneer marring his features, "It's fitting _you'd_ defend him, Crabbe. Considering _your_ reputation."

Crabbe's face remained impassive as she yanked Nott's tongue out of his mouth with a simple flick of her wand, easily talking over his shapeless screams, "You should watch your tongue, _Dorius_. Lest it should escape you."

Crabbe then took her seat at the table with a practiced elegance, before turning to Sirius with a raised eyebrow, "Hope I didn't miss out on _too_ much of the fun."

Sitting back in his seat, Sirius shook his head with a chuckle, "You're as brutal as always."

"Solved your problem, didn't it?" Crabbe shot back.

"I never said I _minded_ it." Sirius mollified, "I'm surprised you didn't bring your boy, isn't he about Hades age?"

Crabbe scoffed, "I left him with his uncle. Gregg wouldn't shut up about how children _'don't belong at these sorts of things',_ and after a certain point it's not worth the argument."

Arcturus scowled, "That's the most ridiculous amount of bile I've ever heard. Vincent is an _heir-- _How else will he learn what that truly entails? Tutors can only do so much."

"Tell _him_ that," Crabbe grumbled, rubbing her temple with the tip of her wand, "I swear it's like arguing with an ogre half the time!"

"I can talk to Gregg," Lucius offered, "You know how he is. He'll listen to me."

Crabbe's face turned red at that, "Now listen here, I can handle my bastard relative--"

"Irene!"

Crabbe's ranting promptly trailed off as a tall woman with a square jaw-- who Sirius immediately recognized as Denise Bulstrode-- waved at her, followed closely by Abraxas. _So she was the last of the guests, then?_

Crabbe rolled her eyes, but still stood and accepted the hug the taller woman engulfed her in.

After a moment, Bulstrode pulled back, "How have you been? I haven't seen you since before your trial.."

"I've been managing," Crabbe replied curtly, before whispering, low enough for only her friend to hear, _"Gregg's been driving me mad, as usual."_

"I'll never understand that man," Bulstrode huffed, taking a seat besides Druella. "Truly, you're a saint for putting up with him."

Taking a seat at Bulstrode's other side, Crabbe shrugged, "He's family. It's part of it."

"Irene," Abraxas cut in, "I do believe it's time you release Nott."

"I don't know," Arcturus smirked, "He's a lot more pleasant like this."

Abraxas gave Crabbe a look, and with an over exaggerated sigh, she gave her wand a whirl. Nott immediately downed some water, gasping for breath as he swallowed thickly, his dark eyes glaring hatefully in the blonde woman's direction.

* * *

Sirius sipped on his wine, listening to the over-exaggerated tales of the Death Eater trials. He didn't know if they were just unaware of the fact he was innocent, or just didn't give a damn.

Lucius was currently giving a-- probably fake-- retelling of how the Jury was moved to tears when he described "what it was like to be under the Dark Lord's influence" on stand.

"..And so I said, 'I felt as though I were in an endless well, and no matter how hard I swam I could never reach the surface for breath.'"

Swallowing mindfully, mouth probably still sore from Crabbe's previous abuse, Nott chuckled nasally, "I personally compared it to being buried under sand."

"I fancied mud myself," Bulstrode piped in, "Like all I could breathe in was sludge."

The three erupted in chuckles, Lucius shaking his head, "Good thing we didn't get Skeeter, the prophet will have the muggle-lovers weeping like the ignorant children they are by the end of the week!"

"Vile woman.. She shouldn't be allowed near anything remotely as impartial as a trial is supposed to be." Melania scowled, twisting her fork mercilessly in her roast beef.

Narcissa nodded, glancing at Sirius, "She really does go out of her way to be nasty, doesn't she?"

"I'll get even," Sirius swore, "She'll realize what it means to cross a Black."

"You'll have to wait in line," Crabbe declared, "That fat muggle-loving _bitch_ made me out to be some sort of skank who slept with the judge."

Arcturus chuckled, "Sirius would never get the chance if he let _you_ have at her first."

"Perhaps I'd leave enough," Crabbe shrugged, tucking some of her blonde hair behind her ear. "But it'd be pretty redundant, Skeeter would enjoy the pain by the time I'm finished with her."

"True, perhaps it should be a team effort then?"

"I do know a spell that would hang her by those implants she's so fond of," Bulstrode suggested, grinning at the reaction she got from the more conservative men present.

Druella laughed, "Yes, and put her in something fashionable. That would _really _set Skeeter off, I think."

"I was thinking something more pleasant to look at," Shrugging the hair out of his eyes, Sirius elaborated airily, "Like turning her skin into swiss cheese or something."

"Oh bless him," Melania said, patting Sirius on the head, "Honey you know she's too much of a rat to really mind that."

"You two will have to wait awhile before you can even _think_ about doing something." Lucius reminded, "Aurors would immediately try to pin it on one of you two, or Goyle."

"Not sure how I'd even manage it," Crabbe lamented, "Vinnie's up all hours of the night crying for his father, only reason I sleep at all is because Gregg's so eager to babysit."

Sirius grimaced, "I can empathize with that, Hades is always calling out for his real parents... Co-sleeping helps, but.. I know it's not the same for him."

"Co-sleeping?" Narcissa asked, raising an eyebrow, "What's that? Some muggle nonsense?"

"Maybe?" Sirius winced at his cousin's facial expression, "It's just where the baby sleeps with you as opposed to in the nursery. It helps them feel more secure or something."

Lucius laughed, starting to say "That's the stupidest thing--" until he looked over and saw his wife's face, grin immediately being wiped from his face. "Narcissa, you aren't really--?"

"Draco is always crying, and the bouncing doesn't help _us_ get more sleep. If it works for Siri.."

Lucius gave a pained noise, "But it's _muggle."_

"So is the Hogwarts Express," Narcissa snapped, before sighing, "Can't we at least give it a _try?"_

Lucius shot Sirius a dirty look, gritting out, "..I suppose.."

The rest of the dinner was left to discussing holiday plans. Nott was planning on spending time with his sister-in-law, Martha Flint, Bulstrode planned to visit her mother, and Crabbe said she'd most likely be stuck at the Goyles, since Irma Black didn't really see the point in Christmas. The Blacks and Malfoy's were left just arguing over who's house they'd be celebrating at, since it had already been agreed they'd spend it together.

* * *

**Anyone remember when I** ** had both ** **Nott** ** and Crabbe mentioned in passing a few chapters ago? ** **Well here they are + Bulstrode :D**

**I plan to add some more members of the sacred 28 in later chapters, but I felt this was a suitable place to start. **

**Also, just to clarify Accipere could only be used on people. It wouldn't work if one person wasn't alive or if the people involved were different species. Just something someone asked and felt I should clarify**

**Anyways ** **I ** **hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think, like, and share!**


	16. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What have the other Blacks been getting up to?

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Irma watched her husband as he adjusted his robes, lounging across their bed as the man scrutinized over his appearance.

"I think 'yer handsome enough, hon."

Looking in the mirror at his wife Pollox rolled his eyes, "Perhaps, but this is a big deal."

Slinking over Irma wrapped her arms around Pollox, kissing his neck as she whispered, "It'll be fine. Augusta's a reasonable woman, and Bella's a Lestrange now in any case."

Turning to face his wife Pollox rested his forehead against hers, "I know, I'm hardly worried about the old crone going after us, but.."

"But?"

"Sirius has been through too much shit.." Pollox sighed, leaning back as he looked into his wife's light blue eyes, "I want to be Augusta's pen-pal if only for his sake, poor bloke needs _some_ semblance of his old friends."

Smiling Irma adjusted his cloak, "Maybe you should mention Hades? She might be interested in getting little Neville a proper friend."

"Maybe," Though Pollox didn't sound too convinced.

Looking over at the clock Irma frowned, "Well it'll hardly do 'yer cause any good to be late, get! I'll be here to lick 'yer wounds when yer' come back."

Pollox captured her in a kiss, cupping her face as he whispered what _he'd_ be interested in licking when he came back. Which earned him a playful swat to his rear as he laughed his way towards the door.

* * *

Irma watched Melania knit with barely concealed amusement, "Ya' think Sirius is really goin' to be caught dead in that?"

Glaring Melania pointed one of her knitting needles at Irma, "You're just jealous I won't make you one, and Sirius also needs socks. Poor boy walks around the whole house barefoot-"

"-Which is why he's goin' to be just thrilled ta' find you've gone and made him some."

Melania ignored her tone and just nodded, "Yes he _will_ be thrilled, I'll even make them in Gryffindor colors. He always says it's the thought that counts anyhow."

"When it' comes ta' other people.."

Throwing down her needles Melania turned to glare at the blonde witch, "Well what would you have me make him then?"

Irma laughed, "Yer' such a Puff! Why make 'em anything when the lad could've done bought' it if he'd wanted it?"

Turning back to her work Melania sighed, "It's like the China doll, love."

Irma face flickered before she turned with a huff, it wasn't worth the argument.

* * *

A few days later saw Melania discussing whether or not Lucretia would be joining them for Christmas,

"I want to, but Molly has been so overwhelmed with everything.. I'd just feel guilty leaving her to handle all that by her lonesome."

Ignatius sighed, wrapping an arm around his wife, "If only she wasn't so adverse to your family, we could just invite them over here."

Melania nodded grimly, remembering how the woman had sent back her care package all those weeks ago.

Lucretia looked over at her son, who was playing with some enchanted blocks, "There isn't much to be done about that I suppose. At least she doesn't seem to hold much against Ceres."

"I understand Tia, it's part of having two families. You have to balance the holidays sometimes."

Lucretia worried her lip some, "I will certainly tell her we'll have to split up the holidays if she won't budge, Ceres needs to know his other relatives after all."

"Molly's going to _love_ that," Ignatius drawled, "Though I can hardly blame her, what with the size of her brood. Having you on hand must feel like God himself has picked up a spatula."

Lucretia flushed, waving off the compliment, "Honestly I can hardly keep up. She mainly likes me there to keep the kids from nicking things."

"I'd hate to think what she takes me for then," Ignatius laughed, "You really shouldn't sell yourself so short."

"It is our veins, Hufflepuff was said to be a magnificent chef."

"Mother.."

"You should see Sirius in the kitchen," Melania continued, unperturbed. "He might not be as classically trained as Tia or I, but he has a good instinct on what to do."

"Speaking of Sirius, you should know word of Hades has reached the light family circles. It won't be long til Skeeter's on his dick again."

Nodding, Melania sipped on her cocoa. "That's to be expected. Did the Weasley's say something?"

"Nothing polite," Lucretia frowned, "They don't believe that _anyone_ on trial was innocent, Sirius is no exception. Molly was going on about what'll become of Hades with Siri as a father for _hours."_

"Her hearts in the right place," Ignatius defended, "She mostly follows her husband's lead when it comes to this stuff. Arthur always hated Lucius, and Sirius seems to have befriended him from all reasonable perspectives."

"I think 'befriended' is being a bit generous." Melania said with an amused shake of the head, "More like has tolerated for the sake of everyone else. Though he does put a good show on, doesn't he?"

"I still can't figure out why that hat put him in Gryffindor," Shaking his head, Ignatius put his head in his hand, "Sure the man's brave, but I'd hardly call it his defining characteristic."

Melania frowned, giving a shrug. "I haven't asked, honestly. He and Tori always reference nobility when discussing it, and Sirius has always been big on morals, so I imagine that's what it was."

Lucretia hummed, sipping her tea while she glanced back over at her son. "So what do you think? A Gryffindor like you? Or Slytherin like me?"

"He could always be a Hufflepuff." Melania reminded, "Or even Ravenclaw. We're bound to have one in the family at some point."

"Seven hundred years have gone by, so I wouldn't hold my breath."

Ignatius shrugged, "I don't know, I think Percival might end up in Ravenclaw. I realize Cedrella was disowned, but surely that must count in some capacity."

Melania gave a shrug, "If we did count it then he'd hardly be the first Ravenclaw, would he?"

Giving her mother a regretful look Lucretia again asked, "Are you sure you're okay with this? I can always-"

Waving her off Melania shook her head, "No, no. You're right, Molly just lost most of her family, she needs you right now. Between Sirius and the rest of the bunch, I don't think I'll be too terribly lonely this year in any case."

"Has Hades been alright? We haven't been able to visit much."

Smiling Melania nodded, "He's talking more, and Sirius has gotten a bit more comfortable referencing himself as his father."

"Has he decided on a listing yet?"

Melania shook her head, "Sirius likes this place in Germany, but he's a bit hesitant to commit."

"Well that makes sense," Lucretia shrugged, "It's his first real home if you think about it. He's bound to be nervous."

Lucretia grinned as Ceres ran over, scooping up her son as Ignatius offered to talk Sirius into making up his mind about Germany, "Man to man," as he had put it.

* * *

"I'm just saying, 'Tia. Ceres is more than big enough to start playing in a league."

Listening to Cassiopeia, Lucretia could swear she saw her cousin's sanity flying out of her ears.

"He's not even two- I swear if you so much as mention this in front of Ignatius, I will Cruciate you within an inch of your life!"

Cassiopeia cackled madly at that, "Because you know he'd agree with me! Ceres will be an excellent beater should his dear old mum give him a chance."

"No. Not happening."

Lucretia ignored the shit-eating grin Cassiopeia wore as she asked, "Now why not?"

"He could get hurt!" Lucretia exclaimed, "His soft spot isn't gone yet, and until it is I'm not letting him on a broom period- let alone be chased down by _bludgers__."_

"The bludgers are made of foam, the brooms his age don't go any faster than he can run, and no higher off the ground than he can stand."

"But-"

"And even then they always make sure that there's a healer on call in case a kid scrapes their knee or one of the other truly _horrific_ injuries they tend to get."

"Are you done?"

"Let's not also forget the truly terrible fact that no child, _not one_, ever manages to enjoy their time or even make friends." Throwing her head back dramatically Cassiopeia sighed, "Such a _terrible_ sport, Quidditch is!"

Swatting at the laughing woman Lucretia glared, "Stop it!"

Grinning Cassiopeia dodged the younger woman, "Let's not forget the season doesn't start til summer! Such a terrible time of year, when children are forced to _play_ in the sweltering heat."

"Ugh.. Fine, I'll _think_ about it."

Cassiopeia smiled and kissed Lucretia on the cheek, "All I ask, darling."

* * *

Cassiopeia eyed the cauldron warily as her niece stirred it, the woman was always rather dreadful when it came to potions..

It was a simple recipe and Druella had insisted on making it for her daughter herself, but it still caused a wave of anxiety to flood the older witch whenever the pot bubbled unexpectedly.

"I wish you wouldn't hover so much," Druella complained, "You're making me nervous.."

Eyes widening Cassiopeia leaned back some, "I just want to make sure you're doing this right, even if it is just a sweetening draught.."

"I have this, Cass." Druella stated, gesturing to the messy workbench which was covered in the half-used potions ingredients, "Why don't you go work on that 'secret project' of yours, hmm? Merlin knows you'd prefer it."

Eye twitching Cassiopeia leaned against the desk with a huff, "I wouldn't be able to focus on the damned thing with you in here doing unspeakable things to that potion."

"Honestly you're worst than my father-"

"-Your father was a very smart man!"

Glaring Druella elbowed a cup of sodium, Cassiopeia just managing to cast a seal over the potion before the stuff fell into the bubbling white potion.

Now being unnaturally pale Cassiopeia shakily levitated the mineral away from the cauldron, "Sweet Merlin you just about killed us.."

"Don't be so dramatic," Druella waved off, "It would have just exploded.. Probably.."

Cassiopeia silently seethed as her idiotic niece continued to brew, Druella pointedly ignoring her at this point as she began to add the Rosemary, or was it Eye of Newt?..

* * *

Druella nearly tripped over own two feet when she stepped through the floo. Abraxas, already expecting this, was watching by the fireplace and caught the witch with a flourish.

"A pleasure as always, Mrs. Black."

"Likewise, Mr. Malfoy." Druella laughed, clumsily getting to her feet, looking around as she tucked her brown hair behind her ear, "I expect Narcissa's in the nursery?"

"Your daughter's actually popped over to Grimmauld's Place to ask Sirius to watch Draco for a while, something about wanting to spend some alone time with my son later on this evening."

Smiling Druella turned back to Lord Malfoy with a coy smile, "A little hard to do with you here.. Unless you're otherwise engaged this evening."

"I could be coerced into spending the night away, should the proper opportunity present itself," Abraxas replied playfully, watching the widow as she turned a light pink.

"I suppose it is a mother's duty to help her daughter find time to enjoy herself."

Gently taking her hand Abraxas smirked, "Just a mother's duty, eh?"

Feeling her face warm a few degrees Druella became exceedingly aware of just how close she was to Abraxas, the smell of his cologne, and his rough hands intertwined with hers-

"Abraxas! I'm back, has my mother flooed yet?"

Jumping away from each other, both adults felt somewhat uncomfortable as the young blonde walked into the room, none the wiser as to what was just going on.

Walking into the room Narcissa looked around as she said, "I- Oh, mother I'm so glad to see you! Did you get the Sweetening Draught prepared alright?"

Swallowing Druella nodded, walking over to her daughter as she groaned, "I swear Cass is such a pain sometimes! She acted as though I were on the verge of setting the house ablaze."

"Bella was the same way! Honestly you mess up one Draught of Living Death and no one trusts you with a cauldron again."

Following Narcissa out of the room, Druella sneaked a glance back towards Abraxas, smiling when the man mouthed 'Meet me at eight'.

* * *

**I was very tempted to keep going, but I felt this was a good place to stop**

**I started to feel sad about how little screen time I've given the extended Black family due to the story mainly focusing on Sirius, so I thought I'd try something out. Not sure if I'll do this again, but I certainly enjoyed writing it :D**

**Please like, comment, and share! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**


	17. Alberta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius and his grandparents have breakfast

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Hearing a loud wailing sound Sirius sighed, rolling over as he murmured, "Shh.. It's okay.. Daddy's here.."

Sirius gently ran his fingers through Harry's curls as he settled him in his arms, rocking him in a vain attempt at consoling the lad.

Harry, he'd discovered, rarely slept through the night. Sirius could only assume it was because he missed his real parents, as he didn't used to be this fussy.

Lily would know what to do, Sirius realized this of course. She was a dreadful singer, so she used to put on this old Rolling Stones album and just dance around the cottage until the swaying sent Harry off to sleep, James hugging her from behind and planting a kiss to her temple, the two of them seemingly forgetting he was there at all..

Closing his eyes, Sirius bit back his tears. Why should _he_ live? Why should _he_ get to watch Harry grow up?

It was just so fucking unfair

Wiping his tears away Sirius sighed, "You miss them, don't you? I bet that's why you cry all night, I miss them too.."

Harry sniffled, burying his face in his 'Paffy's' chest. The thumping of Sirius's heart calming his frantic mind some.

"Merlin," Sirius muttered, hugging Harry closer to him, "I can't even imagine what's going through that little head of yours."

Harry hiccuped, looking up at Sirius with a fresh wave of waterworks bubbling up.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Sirius sat at the breakfast table, chewing on his toast as he bounced Harry on his knee. Silently listening to his grandparents chat amongst themselves.

"I'm just sayin'," Irma laughed, "It's not like Fawley is gettin' any younger, she could do to lower her standards a bit."

Pollox rolled his eyes, "Woman needs to _raise_ the bloody age of the men she dates, never seen the buzzard try for any guy under thirty."

"Well, not all men can age as gracefully as you, Polly."

"Says mister 'My hair isn't greying, the light is just really bright'!"

Arcturus' face darkened as the room laughed at his expense, "Least I don't shave it off like I'm ashamed of it."

"I'll have you know bald is very sexy-"

"Irma please, the children are present." Melania chided.

Rolling her eyes Irma gestured over to Sirius, "He doesn' care, and Harry's too young to understand."

"Sirius is just too polite to complain-"

"Sirius? Polite?" Cackling, Irma wiped a none existent tear from her face, "Sirius just knows when and when not ta' keep his mouth shut."

Arcturus raised his eyebrows at that, "Sirius has never known when to keep his mouth shut."

Sirius felt his face burn at the table took a turn to laugh at him, rolling his eyes as he said, "I would have you know I'm-"

Sirius was rather rudely cut off by a brightly colored bird flying in and landing on his shoulder, dropping a letter on his plate before pecking at his head, obviously wanting a reward for delivering his mail with so expertly.

Harry, for his part, screamed and hid his face in his hands. Peeking through his fingers as he stared at the great rainbow macaw in obvious fear.

Melania quickly scooped Harry up and away from the "evil and scary bird", taking a few steps back to give Sirius a chance to satiate the thing.

Pollox grabbed the letter, rolling his eyes when he saw who it was from, "It's from that damned realtor, probably about some listing.."

Turning away from Harry, Melania said, "Don't be so bitter, Pollox. Now open it and tell us what it says."

Grumbling under his breath Pollox ran his eyes over the letter a few times before handing it back to Sirius, who now had the blasted bird situated on his knee where his child once sat.

"Rowle says our offer went through," Sirius read aloud, "All we have to do is finalize everything."

Petting at the bird- who was named Alberta- Pollox rolled his eyes, "I still don't see what's wrong with this place."

"I'll write Rowle a date in which we can meet," Arcturus said, ignoring his cousin for the moment, "Hopefully we'll be able to have you both settled in before the New Year."

Adjusting Harry in her arms, Melania settled back beside her husband, "So we'll still be celebrating Christmas here?"

Arcturus shrugged, "Not unless you're all fine spending the day at Malfoy Manor."

They had already decided that wasn't going to happen.

"I still need to get some things.." Sirius muttered under his breath, "The prophet hasn't mentioned me since Lucius's trial, do you think it's calmed enough so I can go to Diagon Alley?"

"I'd rather you not, with everyone out and about there's more of a chance someone who's absolutely mad might attack you."

Irma shrugged, "Not always a bad thing, people might not even notice 'em in all a' the hubbub."

"That's not a bad point," Pollox shrugged, "I still got some shit to get myself, so I could always take him in a few days."

"I.." Arcturus rubbed the bridge of his nose as he relented, "Fine, but only if you take him to get a new wand right away. I don't want him being that vulnerable any longer than he has to. You go in, get what you want, and then you leave."

Sirius smiled, "Relax, Pops isn't going to let anything happen to little ole me."

Stretching his wings, Alberta decided he'd had enough of Sirius's breakfast and flew back down the halls, in search of the owlery.

Glaring after the bird Arcturus muttered, "I still can't believe you actually _bought_ that blasted thing.."

Grinning Sirius dusted himself off, "He's a charmer, I'll give him that. I couldn't have left him if I wanted to."

Pollox laughed, "Like you even wanted to, damn thing bout made me piss myself when it spoke."

Kissing her husband's cheek Irma grabbed what was left of the oatmeal before handing it to Sirius, as his plate was currently covered in brightly colored feathers, "Thanks."

Looking over at Harry and his granny Sirius swallowed a mouthful of food, "I don't suppose I can convince you to babysit for me?"

Eyes shining Melania laughed, "Do you even have to ask? Hades and I are already planning on what we'll do with you out of our hair, aren't we?"

"Tink Pa! Gam gams, gams!" Was the enthusiastic response she got, which Sirius figured must have translated to something along the lines of, "Think about it Dad! Gonna have fun with Granny!" But he couldn't be sure.

"Might drop by if that's the case, not like I'll have much else ta' do without this arse keepin me busy."

Pollox responded by ruffling his wife's hair, a mixture of laughter and shrieks erupting from the couple.

* * *

**Seriously drunk off of all this family fluff right now omg but next chapter is gonna focus more on Sirius and Pollox as I feel they should be given more time together**

**Yes, Sirius still doesn't have a wand, as he hasn't braved the public quite yet. His first trip into the wizarding world is going to be interesting**

**Hope you're excited, please remember to comment, favorite, and share this :D**


	18. Diagon Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius braves the public for the first time since his exoneration

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Pollox rolled his eyes as he watched his grandson fret over Harry, making sure the boy was perfectly secure and happy in his play-pen.

"I think he'll survive, Siri."

"I know it's just.." Sirius sighed, "It's just the first time I'll really be away from him since.. Since he became _mine_.. I'm just nervous."

Slinging an arm around Sirius, Pollox directed the man towards the floo, "Come on, the more you stall, the worse it'll be. We'll want to beat the morning rush when we head over to Ollivanders anyhow."

And with that, the two Black men stepped into the floo.

* * *

Diagon Alley was different, that's about how Sirius could summarize it.

Shops that used to be closed or boarded up were now open and bustling with dozens of witches and wizards. The streets themselves were packed and actual _children _darted around, laughing and playing as if they hadn't just been at war.

It was jarring, but in a nice, bittersweet way. Sirius wished James and Lily had lived long enough to see Diagon like this again.

Still, Sirius was extremely thankful to have made it too Ollivanders without incident.

Sirius, remembering his breeding, strode into the place quite like he owned it. Which, considering how wealthy the Blacks were, he could have. Seven times over.

Normally Ollivanders would have immediately tried to strike fear into his heart by popping up somewhere unexpected, but instead Sirius and his pops we're greeted by a young blond man, with baby blue eyes.

"You're Sirius Black, correct?" The man, who Sirius assumed must have been Ollivanders new assistant or something, asked.

"That's what they tell me," Sirius joked, "Is the identification charms on the fritz?"

Laughing, the man made a show of running his hand through his wavy hair. "No, but they only work for my grandfather. Lousy git says I can recast them myself when I inherit this place, like I'll ever want it."

Sirius raised his eyebrows, he hadn't realized Ollivanders _had_ a grandson. Granted, it's not like he ever cared enough to know much about him at all.

"You're Gladys's son, then?"

The young Ollivander flashed Pollox a smile, saying, "And her most beloved child," Before extending his hand. "Gilderoy Lockhart, at your service."

"Wait.. Aren't you that tosser who carved his name in the Quidditch pitch?" Sirius realized, he had thought this bloke looked familiar.

"So my reputation precedes me," Lockhart said, chuckling. "Small stunt, really. After school, it'll be only a matter of time before everyone knows my name."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "Haven't you graduated yet?"

Shaking his head, Lockhart walked back over towards the register. "I'll finish my seventh year in eighty-two, I was four years behind you if you remember- I'm just helping my Gramps around the shop for the holidays."

"Right, well what are you two here for?" Lockhart asked, changing the subject. "Polish? Holsters?"

"A new wand," Sirius said flatly, "The Aurors broke my old one in a fit of petty rage."

"Ah yes," Lockhart said, though Sirius knew he must have been fully aware. Everyone was. "Sorry about that, I don't know how I'd cope if I lost mine, we Ollivanders make our own you know. It's just one of our many traditions to put our many talents to the test."

Pulling out a cherry wand, Lockhart sent a measuring tape over and started taking down some notes on a little pad. "Hmm has anyone ever told you that you're very symmetrical?"

Sirius felt his face warm, fuck. "Well, I suppose there's usually too much drool in their mouths to say so."

Smirking, the blond man looked up. "I'll go give these to my grandfather. He'll be with you shortly."

Then Lockhart disappeared into a back room, probably where they kept their unfinished wands. Leaving the two Blacks to mind themselves in the shop.

"Remember last time you were here?" Pollox asked, his flustered grandson looking over to see he had made himself quite comfortable in the waiting chair, he'd need it.

Sirius scoffed, tucking his hair behind his ear. "Don't remind me. Merlin, I thought I'd be here all day."

"They told me that Ollivander went through just about every dragon heartstring wand he had before trying something else. Then the first wand you touched lit up like a Lumos."

"Unicorn hair," Sirius nodded, "If my parents weren't so relieved to be able to leave I'm sure they'd have made a bigger fuss over it."

Pollox eyed the shelves warily, "Hopefully it won't take too long this time."

"We'll just have to see, then. Won't we Mr. Black?" Ollivander asked, stepping out of the shadows of his shop. His grandson nowhere to be seen.

Turning, Sirius did a right job at seeming unaffected by the jump-scare and gave a simple nod.

"Yes.. Yes.. I recall you were a tricky customer last time, Mr. Black." Ollivander recalled, walking towards a shelf. "Let's see.. Yes, perhaps this wand.."

Ollivander's first offered up a red wand. "Here, acacia wood with unicorn hair. Sixteen inches, a bit stiff. Go on, try it."

Giving the wand a simple wave, Sirius seemed just as unimpressed as Ollivander when nothing happened, giving no fight as the man snatched the wand from him.

"No no," Ollivander said, rushing back towards the shelves, "But perhaps this.. Yes, maybe this one."

That's how they spent the better part of the morning, Sirius proving once again to be a rather tough nut to crack by Ollivander's standards. Though, much like last time, this hardly seemed to upset the old man. On the contrary, it seemed to only excite him.

This lead Sirius to believe that most people found their wands rather quickly, or quick by his own standards.

"Hmm perhaps we should try dragon heartstrings again, most in your family _do_ have them."

"Except his uncle," Pollox smirked, "Alphie ended up with phoenix feather, and was stuck in here so long he started to fear he'd miss the bloody train."

Seemingly a light went off in Ollivander's head, and the man started off again. Setting a wand in Sirius's hand, then another, and another.

This went on until Ollivander handed Sirius a pale- nearly white wand, and as soon as Sirius's fingers wrapped around the handle he felt warmth flood up through his left arm, sparks shooting out of the tip of the wand.

"Excellent! Simply marvelous!" Ollivander exclaimed, "Hornbeam with phoenix feather, fifteen inches. It has reasonably supple flexibility."

Stretching, Pollox swore he could hear his bones singing a tune as his back popped and crackled, which was quite frankly music to his stiff ears.

"How much do we owe you?"

"Ten galleons," Ollivander replied, walking back around the counter. "You know, it's always fun to see someone else with a Hornbeam wand."

Looking over, Sirius raised his eyebrows, "Really? I never knew what wand you had."

"Oh yes, with dragon heartstrings. Twelve and three-quarter inches." Ollivander elaborated, whilst accepting the money from Pollox, "They are easily personalizable, though I doubt anyone else will be able to use your wand as a result of this."

* * *

Sirius would be lying if he said he didn't feel more comfortable having a wand on him now, the bustling crowd of Christmas shoppers simply didn't quite feel as intimidating as they once had.

No one had stopped them yet, maybe a shopper or two had taken a double-take, but all was going well for now.

Still, they had shopping to do. First stop was at Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions.

Sirius figured as much as his cousin had, she would still be quite thrilled to get something from the new spring line that D'Arcy Clearwater had just released.

After placing their respective orders (as Pollox had gotten Irma a little something) they headed towards the Apothecary to get something for Cassiopeia and her 'secret project', and so on throughout the alley.

Currently, Sirius was walking around Flourish and Blotts, contemplating if he should try getting Andromeda anything.

Sirius had long ago concluded her coldness had most likely been because of his reinstatement in the family, as he didn't think she'd willingly breathe the same air as him if she thought he was a Death Eater. Though he still didn't know exactly _how_ mad she was about it, or if trying to make amends this soon would only make things worse.

He'd already gotten little Nymphie some candy, obviously. No amount of disownment or disapproval would make him willingly ignore his favorite niece on Christmas of all days, so he supposed if Andromeda did react badly he could just say he was trying not to be rude. Though...

"Fuckin' hell Sirius, you don't have to get it down to her zodiac sign." Pollox gruffed, "Andy isn't exactly a picky woman, if you recall."

Sighing, Sirius leaned against the shelf. "I'm just worried she won't like the fact I've given anything at all. She's upset with me, and she's too Slytherin to see anything but double motives where we're concerned."

"Nothing wrong with being cautious," Pollox said. "But if you're that worried, just forget it."

"But what if she takes it as confirmation I doubt care about her?" Sirius asked, looking particularly miserable. "I adore Andy, I was there when Nymphie was born, I.. I can't risk losing her over something this stupid."

Pollox grimaced, gently squeezing Sirius's shoulder. "I understand, she was the only constant person in your life for a while now, wasn't she? I could always owl her, invite her and her mudblood over for the holidays."

"She blasted herself off the Tapestry," Sirius said, "Isn't that against, what? Several family rules?"

Pollox shrugged, a smirk settling on his face. "You forget about the best damn part about being Slytherin, we don't follow anyone's rules but our fucking own."

* * *

Sirius was currently going through the list in his head, he still needed to get something for his granny and his uncle Ignatius.. If he recalled correctly his uncle was almost as quidditch obsessed as James had been, so maybe-

Suddenly being yanked between two buildings Sirius immediately tried to reach for his wand, only to be pinned to the wall of some unnamed shop.

Sirius felt his breath catch as he met the amber eyes of his attacker.

* * *

**Who's attacked Sirius? Where is Pollox? Many questions will be answered next chapter**

**Fun fact: I made a Pottermore account specifically to play the wand ceremony as Sirius to narrow down what wand to give him, and Hornbeam was just what I got. It is surprisingly accurate (you should go read up on it lol) so I decided to stick with it**

**Anyways hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think, please remember to like, and share!**


	19. Alleyway Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius and Remus have a "talk"

**(I do not own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Sirius stopped struggling when he realized who had him, there wasn't any point. Humans just weren't as strong as werewolves, especially this close to the full moon.

Remus looked down at him, face set in a semi-snarl as his eyes glowed in the dim light of the alleyway.

Biting his lip, Sirius glanced back towards the crowds of bustling witches and wizards, idly wondering when his pops would notice his absence.

"Are you," Sirius began, mouth feeling dry, "What are you going to do?"

"We're going to talk," Remus gritted out, letting go of one of Sirius's wrists and leading him further down the alleyway. Sirius knew better than to try to make a break for it.

Turning to look the man up and down, Remus leaned against the wall. His eyes glowed even brighter in the darkness.

It seemed like hours passed before Remus finally broke the silence, asking, "Why did you do it?" His voice so calm, he might've been asking why he didn't put the eggs away.

"I already told you, and everyone else why," Sirius said, feeling his heart clench. "I didn't want to die, Jamie was practically asking me too-"

"Don't," Remus said, closing his eyes as he held his hand up. "Don't even."

"What are you-"

Jabbing Sirius in the chest, Remus's eyes bore into him. "You were _always_ the brave one, who never gave a damn about how dangerous feeding the thestrals could be. Who never cared if taunting your cousins might bite you in the arse. So no, don't even fucking _try_ to say fear was even a factor in any of this."

"That's different," Sirius said, crossing his arms. "You know it, what Jamie asked.. He asked me to walk to my grave with a smile on my face."

"You joined the Order!" Remus said, raising his voice, "How the fuck is that any better? If you're such a coward, why join the bloody war at all?"

"Did you ever think maybe I was arrogant enough to think I wouldn't die?" Sirius asked, throwing his hands out as he yelled, "I was stupid! I really- _truly_ believed we'd all be able to just get through this alive and well. I never thought- didn't even consider-!"

Chest rising and falling Sirius felt his lip trembling, heat escaping his eyes as hot tears rolled down his cheeks, "I.. I didn't think Jamie would become a target, and I didn't think anyone would die. I thought everything would turn out _fi-fine.."_

Remus stared Sirius down, "You know, I thought about approaching you at the funeral."

"You.. You saw me?"

"Smelled you," Remus corrected, "But I didn't, for the same reason you wore that veil."

Lifting up his glasses so he could properly wipe at his eyes, Sirius nodded. "I didn't want to cause a scene.."

"James wouldn't have wanted us fighting at his funeral anyways."

"I'm sorry I didn't owl you," Sirius murmured. "My grandad said I should give you some time, and then it felt like too much time had gone by..."

"So the rumors are true then?" Remus asked, face darkening. "You've gone back to them."

"I know what you're thinking," Sirius began. "But they aren't as bad as I remembered! I think they really want this to work, and so do I."

"That's convenient," Remus said. "Every year you'd go on a rant about how horrible they all were, how unloved you felt. You showed us all these gaping wounds as proof of their abuse. Now? Now it's not that bad?"

Scoffing, Remus shook his head. "Makes me wonder if you were even being honest to begin with."

Sirius's face turned red, "What do you think happened then, Moony?"

"Don't call me that," Remus snapped, "You don't get to call me that after what you've done."

"I know I should have been Jamie's secret keeper, and I realize you're upset-"

Remus slammed his hand against the wall, leaving cracks in the brickwork. "Are you really that fucking dense? You stupid motherfucker!"

Remus bare his teeth, hands clenching as he resisted strangling the man before him, "You really think I buy that load of BULLSHIT?!"

Sirius stared in horror as Remus pulled his wand on him.

"You really think I buy you were scared of dying? The same boy who ran around with a werewolf every month? The same man who taunted his opponents mid spell?" Remus asked, sparks spitting out of the tip of his wand as his magic boiled. "We both know that's a FUCKING LIE!"

Remus blasted the wall beside Sirius's head, showering him in stone shards. Staring the Black heir in the eyes, he said. "I wish to God that could be your head. Part of me wanted to kill you the moment I saw you, parading around with that dick grandfather of yours like the world was beneath the both of you."

Sizing up Sirius, Remus clicked his tongue, "But a larger, more sensible part of me knows I wouldn't get away with it. No one decent would care about your death, but that wouldn't matter, would it?"

Angrily, Remus gestured at his scarred face. "I wouldn't even go to Azkaban! No, I'd just be put down like a fucking dog while your lot finds some backwards way of using my actions to hurt every other lycanthrope in the country."

Shoving his wand back in its holster, Remus shook his head and gritted his teeth. "So I'm not going to give them the excuse. I'm not giving the fucking ministry and everyone else _like you_ the fucking satisfaction of it."

Leaning in close, Remus whispered in a low growl, "But mark my words, Black. If you give me a reason to kill you, and by God, I _will_ make it hurt."

* * *

**Woo.. That was heated**

**I thought a lot about how this would turn out, but honestly? I don't think Sirius being free would change Remus's opinion**

**I find it strange in fanfiction when Remus just.. Takes Sirius's word for it when he says he wasn't the secret keeper. Because there happens to be a difference between no one being able to legally _prove_ you've done something wrong and _actually_ being innocent, Lucius being a prime example**

**I honestly can't tell if it's just people think Remus has no backbone or if it's just lazy writing, but either way, I don't like this trope at all. I feel that, like in canon, Remus would need some sort of irrefutable evidence that Sirius is innocent to believe him**

**Will they make up? Well that's for me to know and you to find out**

**This whole scene was actually the main reason I couldn't have a time-skip right after getting Harry, because why would Remus wait x amount of years to approach Sirius? I was actually going to have this happen at the funeral, but with so much going on I felt it wouldn't really shine that well, so I had to wait a bit**

**Also, I recently got a beta reader. This is the first chapter he's helped me with, and his username is megaflash**

**Anyways can't wait to hear what you guys think, please remember to like, comment, and share!**


	20. Everything I Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pollox fucks everything up, it seems

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Panic was the most accurate way to describe what Pollox felt.

He'd turned around for not even five seconds and Sirius had completely vanished. If he didn't know better he'd think his grandson had apparated away just to give him a heart attack.

Combing the streets, Pollox was on the brink of telling his pride to fuck off and getting an Auror involved when he heard spellcasting. Fear chilled his blood as he prayed his grandson wasn't involved..

Pollox shoved passed a few people in his way and very nearly threw the shaggy looking man to the ground as he made his way to the mouth of the alley. Sirius was far more important than they could ever hope to be.

Sirius had crumbled to his knees after Remus left, and hadn't moved when his pops arrived.

"Oh thank Merlin," Pollox said, breaking Sirius from his dazed state.

Seeing Sirius's tearfilled eyes, Pollox felt his stomach churn. Gently lifting Sirius's chin up, he asked. "What happened?"

"I.." Sirius began, before shaking his head and burying his face into his hands. He couldn't talk about it.

Pollox felt fury grip his soul and demand blood, and he'd have it, one way or another.

"Let's go home," He said instead, gently wrapping an arm around Sirius's shoulder. "No one can hurt you there."

* * *

Pollox wasn't particularly surprised when Sirius immediately made a break for his room, or the slamming doors that accompanied his leave.

Melania, who was preparing dinner at the kitchen table, looked quite confused. "What was that about?"

"Sirius got grabbed on the street," Pollox gritted out, entering the kitchen and sitting at the table. "He wouldn't talk about what happened, and by God that has me worried sick."

Melania's grip on her knife tightened, as it hovered over the beets she was cutting. He heard her unholster her wand.

"Don't even _think_ about it," Pollox hissed.

"Think about what?" Was the innocent response he got. He wasn't fooled.

"You know what I'm damn-well talking about," Pollox said with a glare. "We can't go adding another body to be buried, not right now anyways."

Sighing, Melania lowered the knife back on the table and set her wand down. "I wasn't going to _kill_ them."

"I remember what you did to Fletcher-"

Rolling her eyes, Melania cut the younger man off, "Will it make you sleep easier if I promise not to get caught?"

"You're already planning something then?" Pollox asked, waving his wand. The muggle whiskey he kept in the cupboard flew into his hand.

"Nothing solid, I'd have to get Sirius to tell me who it was first." Melania looked back over towards the stairs, "Watch Hades for me, yea? I need to go check on him."

"Melania-"

"-I will be going to comfort our grandchild," Melania stated crisply, "Hades will be up within the hour, I trust you can handle him for a little while."

Pollox sighed as the woman walked up the stairs to their grandson. Deep down he knew she meant it. That fucker would pay.

* * *

Pollox hadn't been avoiding Harry, but more or less ignoring his presence.

He didn't dislike the boy, or the fact that he was even a half-blood. No, it was for a more complicated reason.

The boy looked up at him, waving his chubby hand. The curls on his head bouncing merrily as he laughed, happy to simply exist.

Pollox gave a simple wave back, trying not to think about how much he looked like _her_.

It wasn't easy. Harry was his sister's spitting image, and it was downright painful to look at him at the best of times. Right now, it was like the fates were trying to make him as miserable as possible. They had been trying for a while now, and Dorea's murder was the place they liked to stab at the most.

Harry wasn't remotely aware of this, and neither had his father. It was horrible, really, and Pollox hated himself everyday for turning the boy away, for burning him off of the tapestry so he could live a normal life. That's what he told himself, anyways, but in reality he knew, he just hadn't been able to stand looking at Polaris.

Harry picked his rattle up before holding it out to Pollox, who was leaning against the wall.

"Is this for me?" Pollox asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Raddle!" Harry confirmed, waving it around excitedly until Pollox crouched down and took it.

Looking over the boy, Pollox sighed deeply. Leaning back against the doorframe, he slid to the floor.

"You really do look _so much_ like her, you know that, right?"

Harry didn't give a verbal answer, just tilting his head to the side the same way he often saw his 'Paffy' tilt his head.

"She'd have loved you. Dorea would have, I mean," Wiping a hand over his face Pollox gave a mirthless laugh, "She was my baby sister, barely any older than my daughter. They grew up together, you know."

Looking back over at Harry, Pollox stopped short. "Of course you don't, you.. You never even knew her, fuck you don't even know _me."_

"'Uck!" Harry repeated, earning a quiet chuckle from Pollox.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Shaking his head, Pollox sighed. "I fuck everything up, don't I? Can't even take my own grandson to the store without him being fucking kidnapped.."

Blinking, Harry set his bear down. Toddling over to sit beside Pollox, he latched onto his arm.

Looking down at him, Pollox gave a weak smile. "God I hope I don't ruin you."

* * *

**The way Pollox is handling everything was an interesting topic for me, with everything going on with Sirius it's easy to forget just how much the other characters are going through**

**Next chapter will focus on Sirius as he's feeling very sad right now, gonna have some one on one time with Melania :) grandma hugs always help**

**I hope you enjoyed this, please like and let me know what you think!**


	21. Muggle Nonsense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melania and Sirius have a heart to heart

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Melania strode up the stairs with hell on her heels and fury burning in her stomach.

Twisting the doorknob to find it locked, Melania rolled her eyes. _"Honestly_ Sirius, you'd think you'd have realized that's not going to work in this household."

With a quick wave of her wand, Melania unlocked and opened the door. She strode into her grandson's room to find it empty.

"Sirius?"

A muffled voice came from the closet. "I don't want to talk to you."

"I know you don't, but we need to. Please come out?"

When she received no response, Melania gave an exaggerated sigh, why must he make things harder than they needed to be?

Opening the door, she revealed Sirius, who had curled himself up in the corner. His glasses were discarded, and his eyes were red-rimmed.

Sliding gracefully to the floor, Melania leaned against the doorframe, "Siri, please tell me what happened."

"What's there to tell?" Sirius moaned, "My last friend told me he hates me, and I deserve it-"

"Sirius!"

"It's true!" Sirius said, face turning red. "I lied to Remus! Now he wants me dead!"

Folding her hands in her lap, Melania sighed, "Sirius, you lied because you _had_ to. If this man can honestly believe you capable of the things you were accused of-"

"No Remus has EVERY right to believe what he believes!" Sirius exclaimed, standing up. "I was horrible to him. What else is he supposed to think?"

"He's supposed to give you a bit more credit than to assume the worst." Melania snapped, before her face softened. "You gave a perfectly good explanation as to what happened."

Sirius shook his head, "No, I didn't.. Remus knows me, he saw through _everything_.. He knew I lied and now he hates me for it."

Melania's brows furrowed, "Sirius-"

Sirius strode past her, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head.

"I suppose it serves me right," Sirius thought aloud, chuckling mirthlessly. "I suspected Remus first, never even _considered_ Pettigrew-"

"-You had your reasons." Melania cut in, getting to her feet. "Just like the Potters had theirs. You couldn't have known."

"I should have!" Sirius shouted, whipping around, "I spent almost _every day_ with that man. My boyfriend was a fucking Death Eater and I didn't even notice! Now my brother and sister are dead and I'm- I'm.."

All the color left Sirius's face as he became still, horror freezing his features as he realized what he'd just said.

Sirius flinched when his granny reached for him. He'd fuck up, _he'd fuck up, he'd.._

"Sirius," He didn't respond. "Sirius look at me."

Steeling himself, Sirius finally met his grandmother's grey eyes, nausea creeping up his throat as he appreciated just how _fucked_ he was.

"You miss him then?" Melania asked, hesitating for a moment before she delicately continued, "It doesn't help you to pretend it never happened, Siri. It's just not healthy..."

Sirius eyes watered as he shook his head. "You don't understand- I _can't-"_

"Yes you can," Melania insisted, "I know you must feel guilty for it, but it's nothing to be ashamed of-"

"Yes it is! Why are you being so.. so.." Sirius struggled for a moment. "Why are you acting as though this is fine?!"

"I'm not acting, Sirius."

Sirius felt something inside himself crack. Tears rolled down his cheeks unimpeded, stinging at the cuts the shrapnel had left on his face. "It doesn't feel _fine_, it feels like something's _wrong_ with me."

Melania gently cupped Sirius's face, thumbing his tears away. "Sirius, there is nothing _wrong_ with feeling things, it's what makes us human."

"Then I don't want to be human!" He shouted, nearly falling over a sob wracked through his body, shaking his head. "I don't want to _feel_ _anything!_ I don't.. I can't…"

Crumbling back to his knees, Sirius didn't have the energy to fight his granny when she pulled his head against her chest, cradling him. It was just too much, it was all just _too much._

* * *

Sirius woke up feeling like he'd just ran a mile. Sitting up in bed, he wiped at his face only to find dried tear tracks.

_Oh_

The events of yesterday flashed through his mind. A sudden panic rose up in his chest

_Oh shit_

Scrambling out of bed, Sirius barely grabbed his glasses before he rushed down the stairs. His granny would probably be in the kitchen, right? It'd be the first place he looked, in any case.

Melania was in the kitchens- helping Kreacher settle the meal plan for Christmas, no doubt- and nearly jumped out of her skin when Sirius barged in.

Clapping a hand over her chest, Melania gasped. "Oh, Sirius! You nearly gave me a fright-"

"You didn't tell anyone about what happened last night, did you?"

Blinking, Melania asked, "About that friend of yours?"

Sirius swallowed, catching his breath as he shook his head. "No, no.. Er.. The other thing."

"Other thing?" Melania repeated before her eyes widened. "Oh, you mean you and Pettigrew?"

"Yes, that. Listen, I'm glad you're okay with it-"

"Okay with what?"

Sirius gaped, "With me being-" Glancing over at Kreacher, Sirius cut himself off with a scowl. "Can you tell him to leave?"

"Tell him yourself. You're a part of this family, he has to listen to you."

"Unfortunately," Kreacher sneered.

Sirius sighed, "Kreacher, please give me and my granny some privacy."

Kreacher looked scandalized. "Kreacher has been asked to _'please_' leave? Oh mistress would never have disrespected Kreacher so! Truly the horrible stain of her flesh-"

"That's enough, Kreacher. You have your orders, now go."

Grumbling, the old Elf left with a loud pop.

Turning back towards her frazzled grandson, Melania raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

Sirius leaned against the table. "Why are you okay with the fact.. Well, the fact that I was with a bloke?"

Melania still didn't look any less confused, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Be-Because!" Sirius exclaimed, "I'm gay, this isn't exactly..."

Taking a seat at the table, Sirius studied his granny for a moment. "You really don't know why I'd be.. Well concerned about this?"

Sighing Melania sat across from Sirius, waving her wand to start a kettle of tea. "I can already _tell_ this is some muggle nonsense."

Sirius bit the inside of his cheek, "Maybe.. I always just assumed purebloods followed the same logic."

"I'm still not getting it," Melania confessed. "Am I supposed to be disappointed or something?"

"Putting it a bit lightly.." Sirius muttered, shaking his head. "Well to put it in perspective, to a muggle being gay is kind of like being a muggleborn to a blood purist."

Eyes widening, Melania's face shifted into a scowl, "That's ridiculous! At least being homosexual is natural, and not some sort of subspecies in our race."

Sirius blinked, "Is that what you think? That muggles and muggleborns aren't the same species as us?"

"Don't change the subject." Melania chided. "It hardly affects what we're talking about."

"Yes well," Sirius started, feeling a bit conflicted about just letting a matter like that drop. "Being gay isn't seen as natural by muggles. They see it as a sick perversion or some sort of mental disorder. Is this.. Is it really not strange to purebloods?"

"Hardly," Melania replied. "Why should I care who your partner is so long as they are the right sort?"

"But I'm grandad's only heir." Sirius pointed out. "Surely, that complicates the 'so long as they're pureblood' train of thought."

"Not really. We'd just need to get a surrogate whenever you decided to have another child," Melania laughed. "If anything, everyone will see it as a good thing, considering how pro-muggle you are. It'll guarantee us a pureblood grandchild."

"Oh."

Summoning two cups, Melania levitated the pot of tea over. "Any more muggle superstitions you'd like me to clear up?"

Sirius shook his head, "You're really alright with it?"

Smiling, Melania handed Sirius his cup. "Trust me, it's perfectly fine."

Nodding numbly, Sirius took the cup. He sipped his tea as his mind finally had a chance to wander a bit.

"Sirius?"

"Sorry-" Sirius said, shaking his head, before setting the cup on the table with a clank. "Well.. Maybe not, I… I'm just feeling a bit.. Empty right now."

"Is it about that incident in the alley?" Melania asked, careful to keep her tone even. She couldn't lead anything on, after all.

Sirius's grip tightened on his cup. "I can't stop thinking about what he said. How I let this happen."

"You did no such thing!"

"Yes I-"

"No, you listen to me and you listen good," Melania said, getting up from her chair and walking around. "That man had no right to attack you, he had no right to threaten you, and he had no right to hurt you."

"He didn't-" Sirius started to say, when Melania's hand rested on his cheek, aggravating the scratches.

Melania crouched down, now eye level with Sirius. "He did, Siri. He hurt you, and that wasn't okay. Now, will you please tell me what happened?"

Bringing his hand to rest on top of hers, Sirius looked down, "Well…"

* * *

Melania let her hair fall around her shoulders, sinking into the tub with a low moan. The warm water felt gentle on her old bones.

Looking over to where Arcturus was shaving, Melania asked, "Did Polly tell you what happened?"

Arcturus nodded, a scowl mirrored back at him. "I knew it was a mistake to let Sirius go. Honestly, anything could have happened- he could have been killed!"

"I know, he must feel awful," Sinking further into the tub, Melania said, "At least it's over with now. Lupin was always going to confront Sirius, given how close they were."

"He talked to you then?" Arcturus asked, looking over at his wife.

"Of course," Melania replied. "Lupin was a school friend of his and apparently doesn't believe Siri is innocent."

Rubbing his temple, Arcturus sighed and leaned on the counter, "I suppose he's handling that just _brilliantly_. Do you think I should talk to him?"

"Well yes- but not about Lupin," Melania began, "Sirius let slip he was involved with Pettigrew before the thirty-first."

Arcturus raised his eyebrows, "He never said anything."

A frown flitted over Melania's face. "I don't imagine he would. You see, he was under the impression we wouldn't be okay with him dating a man."

"Why wouldn't we?" Arcturus asked in confusion.

"It's some nonsense he picked up from the muggle-lovers." Melania sighed. "Apparently it's considered some sort of disease by their sort."

"That's.. That's..." Arcturus struggled to find his words, the absurdity of the sentence throwing him off balance.

"I know," Melania grimaced, leaning against the tub wall as she sighed. "I thought he was just upset over Pettigrew, but now I think he was actually scared how I'd react..."

"Scared?" Arcturus shook his head. "Why would he think we held such idiotic notions? We've never given him a single reason-"

"I'm not sure we've ever given him a reason to think we were alright with it, either," Melania pointed out, brushing some of her light brown hair out of her eyes. "If his only frame of reference were blood traitors who have all but completely abandoned our ways, then it's not too surprising that he'd be a bit confused."

"It must have come up in conversation at _some_ point," Arcturus insisted. "Maybe when Orion or that wench had the sex talk with him."

Melania raised an eyebrow, "Do you honestly think they would have cared to? Sirius probably got most of his information secondhand from the Gryffindor common room. Potter more specifically."

Arcturus hung his head after a few moments of silence, he asked, "He really was that afraid?"

Melania nodded, "Can you blame him? Walburga was a special kind of horrible to him."

"I'll talk to him," Arcturus promised. "I'll tell him he can always talk to us, without fear of disownment or physical retaliation. His head's a bit thick, so it might take a while."

Melania smiled, "Thank you."

* * *

**Finally got this chapter done!**

**Not quite "grandma hugs fix everything" but I think this is a turning point for Sirius- He needs to learn his position in the Black family is permanent now, and nothing he does can change that.**

**What do you guys think of a past Sirius/Peter? I never see it for some reason, and I don't know why. A relationship is a pretty solid reason to ignore obvious red flags that someone's up to something shady- and was one of my earlier reasonings for why Sirius suspected Remus over Peter (as I hate the 'because he's a werewolf' headcanon to my very bones')**

**I'm going to go ahead and explain why the dark mark isn't an issue, as it's not really something I want you guys to be confused about and I probably won't have it addressed until Peter re-enters the picture, which won't be for a long while if I go with the canon timeline.**

**Firstly it wasn't common knowledge Voldemort branded his Death Eaters in the first war. Otherwise, it creates massive plot holes such as, why didn't the ministry just check all their employees? Why didn't Dumbledore check all his Order Members? Why didn't James and Lily check Peter before handing him their lives? This makes everything make sense again :)**

**So, Peter told Sirius he was attacked and branded, maybe rough himself up some to really sell it. I think that would have been good enough for ole Padfoot, why would he accuse his boyfriend of being a Death Eater because he was assaulted?**

**I hope you enjoyed this story so far :) Happy Halloween to all who celebrate it!**

**Please let me know what you think, favorite, and share with your friends!**


	22. An End of An Era

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas!

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Harry woke up that day, and he could tell it was _somehow_ different.

His Paffy had told him 'It was Christmas' whenever they'd woken up, but Harry didn't quite know what that meant. Still, if it involved his Paffy, Harry was sure he would like it.

His 'Gams' had came in and promptly taken him in her nice, soft arms. She gave him tons of kisses!

He heard her say, "Mind if I steal him for a bit?" Which got a weird head bobble from his Paffy, and off they went. Did Christmas not include Paffy? Harry hoped not, he quite liked the tall man's company.

Still, it wasn't long before his Gams had him laughing as she let him help make some yummy food. She sang a song about something called a "Hippogriff" and let him sing along, though Harry couldn't quite get the words to go right.

After awhile the strange tall man who looked like his Paffy came in.

He looked quite cheerful, less stern and scary than usual. He leaned in and kissed his Gams on the cheek, and she laughed and pulled him closer.

Didn't his Paffy call him grandad? Harry wasn't quite sure he could say that, but he wanted to try anyways.

Reaching forwards, he giggled as he said, "Ganda!" Which was quite close in his little opinion.

'Ganda' looked over, and raised the bushy things on his face as he gestured towards himself. "Me?"

"Tink!" Harry nodded, standing up and toddling over. Forcing the man to catch him quite expertly before he hit the floor, not that Harry even realized it would be bad if he did.

Adjusting his grip on him, his Ganda looked over at his Gams and sighed. "This boy is going to turn my whole head grey, I can already tell."

Smiling, his Gams kissed his Ganda's cheek sweetly. "You'll enjoy it though, just you wait."

After breakfast, Harry learned exactly what all the fuss was about Christmas. There were boxes covered in pretty paper everywhere! And he could play with them!

Sitting on the floor in his Paffy's lap, Harry teethed on one of the boxes as the bigger people talked and chatted, enjoying the sounds of their voices.

"You think he understands what this is all about?" His 'Un' asked, who Harry had started taking quite the liking to. He just wished he'd stop holding the pretty blonde lady he had started calling 'Tee'.

His Paffy made a movement behind him before he said, "Probably not, he was only a few months old during his first Christmas."

Shifting over him, his Paffy laughed before taking the pretty box out of his mouth, setting his little fingers on the paper. "You'll wanna rip it, mate. Otherwise, you won't get your presents."

Harry perked up at that word, "Bir'dey?"

His Paffy waved his head back and forth, causing the pretty soft stuff on his head to tickle his nose. "No, you're still one. But it's almost as grand, open it."

Harry didn't need to be told twice! He remembered the fun stick he'd been given in his distant memory, it picked him up and made him go really, really fast!

Harry wasn't disappointed in the least to find a soft fluffy thing in the paper, immediately hugging it to himself which caused it to make a very merry tune.

"It's a deer." His Paffy said, sounding a bit sad. "What do you wanna call him?"

Harry held him out for a second, he had a very red nose and tall sticks on his head. "De!"

Harry heard the bigger people say some other things, but he didn't really understand most of it or pay much attention. His Paffy had given him plenty more pretty boxes, which also had fun things inside! It was the best day since Paffy had come back for him.

* * *

Harry woke up a while later. Sitting up he nearly cried out for his Paffy before realizing he wasn't alone.

He knew this lady from the times he and his Paffy had gone through the warm green stuff. His Paffy usually called her Aunt Cassie, but Harry usually ended up saying something closer to 'Cass' as that was easier for him to say.

Currently, Cass was sitting in a rocking chair. Glancing over she raised her own bushy things upon seeing he was awake.

"You up, then?"

Harry put his small arms up, wanting to be held. With great effort to look displeased, Cass lifted him up and settled him in her lap. Though if the way her heart thumped was anything to go by, her frown wasn't very genuine at all.

* * *

Then more blond people showed up.

Harry didn't really remember who any of them were, but he did recognize them from that shiny place his Paffy, Gams, and Ganda had taken him.

His Paffy moved him around, having him settle in the curve on his side before walking up to give the lady a hug. His Paffy then turned to shake the hands of the men she was with. They looked quite like each other.

His Paffy said something else, but Harry was more focused on the boy in the pretty lady's arms.

He was his size, and had the same pretty white stuff that his Paffy had often referenced as 'blond'. His eyes were like his Paffy's, like the moon or the glasses his Paffy often wore. He liked them. This boy was very pretty.

Harry reached for him and giggled when he batted his hand away.

Putting his hand in his mouth, the boy waved shyly. Earning another giggle from Harry.

His Paffy seemed to notice where his attention was, saying. "You remember Draco, don't you Hades? He was here a few weeks ago when I, er... Watched him for your Aunt Cissy."

The taller of the blond men rolled his eyes, "Honestly Sirius, you act as though he'd understand you."

His Paffy's face reddened somewhat at that, it was neat! Harry wondered why it didn't do that more often. "Well maybe I just don't want to say what you two were really doing. Cissy is my cousin if you'd remember."

The pretty lady, which his Paffy had called Cissy, rolled her eyes, "Has my sister arrived? Pops did warn me he'd invited her, and her little.. _Things."_

"No," His Paffy said, once again sounding not just a little sad. "I'm not sure if she'll come, if I'm honest."

Who was he talking about? Harry didn't know, looking over at the boy named 'Draco' Harry tried to ask if he knew, coming out something like, "Tink what it?"

But as babies usually seemed to have an easier time understanding each other, Draco gave a shrug. "Dunno." Before putting his hand back in his mouth. Progress!

The bigger people had brought them back into the den, which had the presents Harry had gotten among the ones the bigger people had gotten each other unwrapped and moved to the side. Most likely to be played with later.

His Paffy put him down on the fluffy rug, and Cissy sat Draco down besides him. Allowing Harry to crawl over and properly greet him.

"Hi," Harry said, gently- but forcefully- shaking his free hand.

"Hi," Draco said, reluctantly taking his hand out of his mouth. "Draco."

"Har'" Harry said, grinning as he had said his name quite masterfully in his own opinion.

"Here," His Cissy said, drawing Harry's attention back to her. She was handing his Paffy a red box. "Don't ask where I got it from."

He couldn't see the expression his Paffy had but he opened the present anyways. Pulling out a red robe, though it was very short.

"This is.." His Paffy said, sounding surprised. "I- Thank you, I didn't realize you even knew what a jumper was-"

"Honestly Sirius." His Cissy huffed, "Just because I don't like muggles doesn't mean I know nothing about them. At the very least I would know how to blend in, so I don't look stupid should I have to go somewhere by foot."

His Paffy didn't say anything but pulled her into another hug. Harry wondered why he didn't hug her friends.

After a few more happy boxes were exchanged between the bigger people (and Harry had gotten a few more words from the blond he was seated besides) they had started handing him (and Draco) presents again.

"For Hades," The shorter blond man (who Harry had noticed had given his Aunt Dru a kiss!) said, while handing him a pretty box that was the same color as his eyes.

His Paffy had to help him make the first tear, but then there was no stopping him! The paper itself was so fun Harry might not have stopped ripping it had the box not gotten his attention.

It was a little weird. It had pretty glass things on it and a little indent all around, and when Harry pulled up on it, it opened! Revealing a pretty little scaly-thing coiled around itself.

"A snake?" He heard his Paffy asked.

"It's a music box," The shorter blond man said, smiling as he twisted the tail of the thing his Paffy had called a snake. The tail started to shake much like one of Harry's rattles and made this lovely little tune, earning a laugh from the boy.

Harry could hear them say something else, but he was far too busy watching the snake twist around, making the pretty sound with its rattle.

* * *

Harry yawned, leaning against his Paffy's chest.

It was a lot later in the day by then. His Paffy had taken to holding him again after Draco, Cissy, and their blond friends left. Currently, they were sitting on the couch, his Paffy was holding a strange square in front of him and talking. Harry enjoyed the vibrations the sounds made.

The strange place where the hot stuff stayed suddenly turned green, making a strange noise as two more big people stepped out.

Well, Harry said two big people, but one of them was only half the size of the other. Though, she was still quite larger than he was.

His Paffy looked quite shocked (maybe scared?) to see them, sitting up and shifting Harry into his lap.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming."

"We weren't," The taller lady, who had pretty robes on that matched Harry's eyes. "But Nymphadora insisted on giving you something in return for the treats."

His Paffy swallowed before giving the smaller girl a smile, "I hope you like them, did you have a good Christmas?"

The girl called 'Nymphadora' looked up at the taller lady before looking back at his Paffy, the soft stuff on her head turned bright pink!

"Mhmm, I wish you could have come over.. Like you usually do..."

"I wanted to," His Paffy said. "I just wasn't sure I'd be welcomed.. I realize some things have changed since the war ended."

His Paffy exchanged a look with the taller woman before waving his hand to Nymphadora, inviting her to come sit with them.

Harry reached out to her whenever she came close, fussing as his Paffy didn't let him out of his lap.

"Who's this little guy?" Nymphadora asked, soft stuff shifting to a more sunny color.

"His name is Hades," His Paffy said, but Harry was sure that wasn't what he was called. Though, most everyone called him that now, was it his name? "He lost his parents during the war, so I agreed to take him in."

Nymphadora's soft stuff shifted to look more like the sky, "Oh, is he okay?"

"I hope so," His Paffy said, sounding sad. Making a movement behind him, his Paffy then said, "You said you had something for me?"

Eyes brightening (literally!) Nymphadora reached into her pocket and handed his Paffy a small metal circle, on a metal string. "It's a watch, I.. I know it isn't much but it has Gryffindor colors, and I know that no matter what happens you'll always be a lion."

Harry looked up at his Paffy and could see a smile on his face. Harry supposed it must be a nice present.

"I love it," He said. "Honestly, I say this every year but you really don't have to give me anything."

Nymphadora's soft stuff changed red, "Yeah, everyone says that, but no one means it."

Pulling Nymphadora into a small hug, his Paffy said, "I suppose, thank you for once again ignoring instructions."

Laughing, the girl leaned back, "It's what I do best, mum's worried I'll end up like you or.. Well.."

"It's okay," his Paffy said. "You can say their names. I'm not going to get upset."

Looking down, the soft stuff turned dark, the same color his Paffy's was. "Is.. Everyone says Uncle James and Aunt Lily is gone, that you hurt them or something.."

"Oh honey," his Paffy said, glancing back over at the taller woman. "I didn't, I'll make any kind of vow to prove it to you. I just couldn't be their secret keeper, and then they went to the wrong person after me. It's.. Some people just don't believe me is all."

"Is that why mum isn't letting you come over?" Nymphadora asked. "She doesn't believe you?"

"I believe him," The tall woman spoke up, breathing out as she walked over to the three of them. "I'm just.. Frustrated with your Uncle, that's all. Like when I tell you to clean your room, and you play outside in the mud instead."

"I never meant to disappoint you," His Paffy whispered, voice sounding funny. "It's been the biggest regret of my life."

Harry could feel his Paffy tremble some, was he cold? He tried to hug him, and the taller lady seemed to have the same idea as she sat on the arm of the couch and pulled his Paffy into her side.

After a moment she let him go, wiping at his face- why was it wet? Before saying, "I know that wasn't your intentions, it.. I probably wasn't even on your mind when they approached you."

Nymphadora, who was still within reach, said, "Does that mean you forgive Uncle Sirius?"

"I suppose," The tall lady said, "But it doesn't mean I'm okay with any of this. You realize this, Sirius?"

His Paffy tangled his fingers in the tall lady's, making another strange head bobble. "I don't expect you to be, is Ted alright?"

"He's fine," The tall lady said. "I just didn't wish to chance any of the wards attacking him, even if he were invited."

"I understand," Sirius adjusted Harry in his arms. "I'll be glad to be out of here, I'm planning on moving in the spring."

"Are you really going to Germany?" Nymphadora asked, and his Paffy head made a strange gesture. "Oh.."

"I'll still only be a floo call away," He said, "If Andy will have me, of course."

"Honestly, Sirius. I'm not disowning you for it." The woman, who Harry could now label as 'Andy' said. "Thank you for the books, by the way. I haven't read the Spliches Series yet."

"Mum says I'm too young for them," Nymphadora pouted, the soft stuff changing to a very strange but pretty color. "I don't get what could be so grown up about them."

"You'll understand when you're older," Andy said, before giving a laugh. "I think you have an admirer."

The other two's attention returned to where it belonged. Harry had started reaching for the pretty stuff on Nymphadora's head with a new vigor, and was quite determined to succeed.

"Would you like to hold him?" His Paffy asked, shifting him in his arms.

Nymphadora's eyes shifted color, "Can I? I won't drop him, will I? What if I do?"

"I don't believe you will," His Paffy said, gently settling Harry in Nymphadora's lap. "We're on the couch, so even if you did it wouldn't be that big of a deal."

"If you say so," Nymphadora said, before making a funny noise whenever Harry did manage to snag a bit of the vibrant stuff coming from her head. "Hey.."

"I remember you used to pull on Sirius's hair quite a bit whenever Alphard brought him over," Andy said, sounding quite happy. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that's why you cut your hair."

His Paffy made a huffing noise, "Trust me, I wouldn't let it past my ears if that were why. Ha.. Hades isn't much better at all if I'm honest."

Harry was stunned when the soft stuff started growing, stretching out so long he didn't have to stretch at all to hold it.

"I didn't know you could do that."

"I've been practicing," Nymphadora said, the beautiful stuff turning pink again. "Maybe I can show you more next time you come over?"

Andy gently ran her fingers through Harry's own soft stuff, though it was rather boring in comparison to Nymphadora's. "I wouldn't be opposed to you two coming over on the weekends again."

His Paffy seemed delighted by that, and Harry rested his head against his Nymphadora's chest, his eyes growing heavy.

It had been a glorious day. In fact, it was the first day that it didn't even occur to him that the funny tall man named 'Dad' and the pretty, nice lady named 'Mum' weren't there.

* * *

**This is the last chapter in the baby days and I'm both very excited and very nervous, this is Back in Black's first real milestone after all!**

**I thought long and hard and agonized over how I could end this part of the story, and decided having the whole chapter from Harry's point of view was a great way to symbolize how the story is slowly going to become more and more about him, and also shed some light on how our main protagonist is feeling about everything (even if he can't express himself yet). Sorry if you didn't like it ; ;**

**Andy and Siri made up :D I wanted to have this reconciliation between them for a while now, and am happy to have it before the time-skip. Tonksie was very fun to write for and I'm glad to be able to give her a chance to properly meet Harry, they're going to be great friends :)**

**Thanks to everyone who's followed this story so far :D Let me know what you think and ideas you have for future chapters, and, as always, I hope you enjoyed :)**


	23. Let's Feed the Ducks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just another normal day in the Black household

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Sirius woke up in the morning like he did most mornings, with a face full of black curls.

Groaning, he gently rolled his four-year-old son off of his stomach. Hades Black- or as he preferred to call him, Harry, sleeping through it all.

Sirius was tempted to pull the blankets back over his head and forget this world for a little longer. Though the rational, horribly _adult_ part of him knew this was nothing but a half-pint dream. His morning alarm agreed.

Sitting up, Sirius fumbled around his nightstand for his glasses- for which he was horribly blind without- and slipped them on his nose. He glared at the clock that was charmed to forcefully drag him into consciousness with less tender mercy than his mother had shown after his sorting.

Harry did make a bit of a fuss and pulled one of Sirius's pillows over his head, making his own attempt at ignoring the world around them.

Smiling at the sight, Sirius waved his wand and turned the clock off. Blessed silence filling the room once more.

Leaning down to peck Harry's head, Sirius said. "You can sleep for a few more minutes while I take a shower, but you'll have to get up for breakfast."

Harry mumbled something incomprehensible, earning a chuckle from his father before Sirius slipped into his slippers and headed towards his bathroom.

* * *

Harry sat at the kitchen table, his legs swinging back and forth while he waited patiently for breakfast to be ready.

Sirius often tried to get him to help out with the cooking, but he didn't really seem to enjoy it the same way he had as a child. His granny had immediately decided it was because Harry wasn't a scion of Hufflepuff like them. Sirius privately thought Harry had simply too much of Lily's personality in his mixing bowl.

"What are you making?" Harry asked, his tiny voice making Sirius grin. He couldn't get over how cute he was.

"Eggs and bacon," He answered, making a show of stirring the skillet. "I was thinking we could go over to the village today? Maybe feed some ducks."

Harry's eyes lit up, "Can we give them eggs?"

"Maybe bread instead," Sirius said, flicking his wand to float the plates down and onto the table, orange juice automatically filling their glasses. "I think it'd make them a bit sick, you see."

"Why?" Came Harry's favorite question.

"Because they aren't people," Sirius said, waving the food onto their plates.

Harry blinked, taking a bite out of his bacon thoughtfully before asking, yet again, "Why?"

Sirius shrugged, "They just aren't, the same way Kreacher isn't human."

"But Kreacher can eat eggs," Harry pointed out. "He likes them a lot."

Sirius smile tightened a bit, he really regretted letting Kreacher anywhere near Harry. Creepy bastard loved Harry almost as much as he hated Sirius. "Yes, well Kreacher isn't a duck, is he?"

"Could we make him one?" Harry asked, earning a laugh from his father.

Recovering from the mental image, Sirius straightened.. "I... Heh, I suppose I could."

Seeing Harry open his mouth, Sirius put his hand up, "But I'd rather go to the village and find ducks ourselves, wouldn't you?"

"Okay," Harry said, taking a reluctant bite of his eggs.

Sirius breathed out in relief, and almost swore when Harry asked, "Do you think he'd like to come?"

"He's.." Sirius struggled for an excuse, really not wanting to see the crazy house elf today. "He can't. It's a muggle place, so he can't go."

Harry pouted, "That's not fair! Kreacher deserves to see the ducks too."

Sirius shrugged, internally disagreeing with that statement. "It's against the rules, so I'm afraid there isn't much to be done."

Harry started grumbling to himself, saying something along the lines of, "It's a stupid rule.."

After they were done, Sirius waved his wand, sending the plates to the sink so that they could wash themselves. Then, he gestured for Harry to follow him upstairs for the boy's bath.

* * *

It didn't take long for Sirius to pull his trousers on or the red jumper Narcissa had given him, but it did take a bit to help Harry into his muggle get up, the boy finding the jeans terribly difficult to step into.

Once finished with Harry's shoes, Sirius hefted him up and settled him on his shoulders. He started their small hike along the Wolf river towards Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach, a muggle municipality a few kilometers away.

The forest was thick, green, and great for hiding a great black dog. Sirius preferred his animagus form while making the long trekt. He also loved playing fetch with any stick Harry found along the way.

Harry got a great laugh out of it, hanging onto the reins Sirius had made for him with a vice like grip as his daddy bounded through the woods, barking at any deer or elk that they passed on their way.

The large Newfoundland dog slowed as it approached the edge of the clearing. He lay down so his son could safely climb off of him, before shifting back to his wizard form.

Giggling, Harry watched Sirius start pulling the leaves from his hair, "How do you do that again?"

"Magic," Sirius answered, ignoring the indignant huff that followed. Turning he flashed Harry a grin. "C'mon, let's go terrorize some poultry."

Harry smiled, grabbing his father by the hand and pulling him towards the strange place with no magic, a bag of bread clutched in his other hand.

* * *

**First chapter of the time skip :) I was requested to write out a genealogy of the cast, since not everyone knew how all these people were woven together. Let's go through them, shall we?**

**First off is Arcturus lll and Pollox Black, who are married to Melania MacMillan (a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff) and Irma Crabbe respectively, these men are first cousins**

**Arcturus and Melania had two children, Lucretia and Orion, while Pollox and Irma had three, Walburga, Alphard, and Cynus lll**

**Lucretia married Ignatius Prewett, Molly Weasley's uncle, and adopted Dudley Dursley, who has been renamed Ceres Ignatius Prewett**

**Orion married Walburga, his second cousin, and had two children. Sirius lll (our hero) and Regulus ll, who is dead**

**While Alphard is also dead, and had no children, Cygnus at least left some of himself before leaving this Earth. That's right, he had three daughters with his wife, Druella Rosier, before he died. Their names are Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa**

**Bellatrix might've gotten married, but Azkaban is a bit of a cockblock. Andromeda was disowned, but she did have a daughter named Nymphadora with her muggleborn husband Ted Tonks. Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy and had a son named Draco**

**While Sirius currently has no biological kids, he did adopt his second cousin Harry Potter (renamed Hades Black) who was the orphaned son of Lily Evans and his first cousin once removed, Polaris Black (renamed James Potter) who was also orphaned by his great aunt Dorea and great uncle, Charlus Potter.**

**Dorea isn't Pollox's only sibling, Cassiopeia being the most prominent in this fanfiction, and is Sirius's great aunt. Marius was his only brother, but was born a squib and was disowned for his safety when he was 17**

**I know first cousins, second cousins, their cousin once removed, and all of that can be a bit confusing (especially if you don't have a large family to keep track of) so I'll help you guys out**

**First cousins means one of your parents are siblings with one of the parents of your first cousin, (See Sirius and Narcissa)**

**If your first cousin has a child, that child is your first cousin once removed (see Sirius and Tonks).**

**Let's say you have a child, then your children are second cousins (see Sirius and Harry). If Harry were to have a child, then that child would biologically be Sirius's second cousin once removed**

**All second, third, and fourth cousins means is how many generations ago your ancestors were siblings. Once, twice or three times removed stands for an older generations relation to a younger generation (see Cassiopeia and Sirius, as they are also first cousins twice removed)**

**I could go over the Weasleys, Longbottoms, Crouches, and all that if you want, but figured this was already quite a bit to take in if you didn't already understand all of this.**


	24. Lesson Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius has important conversations with both his grandad and son

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

"Knock, knock," Sirius said, leaning on the door. His grandad rolled his eyes before waving him in; as if he even needed to bother at this point.

"You wished to speak with me?" Sirius began, seating himself in the guest coach as his grandfather summoned the tea. Both were used to this by now.

"Yes, it's about Hades." Arcturus, watching Sirius for a moment before he continued, "He's turning five soon."

"I suppose it's too much to hope that this is just about his party?"

Chuckling, Arcturus shook his head. "It's about his studies, or lack thereof. I wish for him to begin lessons with Ceres and Draco in the fall."

Sirius frowned, "I didn't start mine until I was six."

"Yes, and we hadn't just come off of a war when you were five."

Seeing the way Sirius had set his jaw, Arcturus sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "You know his followers are still out there, I just want Hades properly prepared to defend himself. Even if you don't like my methods."

"James would kill me-" Sirius said, stopping himself before he sighed. "His parents would absolutely murder me if they found out I even considered this."

"The dark arts aren't inherently evil, Sirius." Arcturus said, "You know this, even if you like to pretend otherwise. All they are is a means to harm your opponent, self-defense."

"And that's why I'm considering it," Sirius muttered, rubbing his temple, "Dear Merlin I really am, fucking hell.."

Sirius didn't say anything for a while. "He can start, but I'm not agreeing to- to him learning that. Not until I think about it some more."

"You've been thinking about it ever since Polly made him his legal heir," Arcturus pointed out. "I think you're just trying to find a reason other than your misplaced loyalty to Potter to say no."

Sirius wished he could tell his grandad that he was wrong, but he didn't particularly feel like lying right now.

* * *

Sirius walked into the den to see his son and granny were nowhere to be found, a giant yellow fort made of pillows in their stead.

"Oh dear," He said, barely hiding his smirk. "Oh where could my dear Harry be?"

A giggle was heard, and Sirius couldn't help but grin.

"Could he be.." He said, slowly reaching for the window curtains. "Behind here?"

Another giggle resounded, and he could hear his granny pretending to shush him.

"Huh.. Okay," Sirius scanned the room. "Could he be.. Under the couch?"

Sirius looked again, earning another giggle from his son. Sirius grinned, heading for where he knew the mouth of the fort to be.

"Huh.. I don't remember this beautiful fortress being here last time Hades and I visited." He began, gently grabbing on the edge of the sheet. "Could he possibly be..?"

Sirius snatched up the "door" revealing Harry and his granny (who were now playing a game of wizarding chess) who laughed, Harry's soon turning into shrieking when Sirius grabbed him- the tickling beginning.

"No, no, no! Daddy stop!" Harry screamed, laughing all the while. Sirius picked up the pace.

"Did you say more?" Sirius asked innocently.

Harry vehemently shook his head. "Please!"

"Oh, well since you asked so nicely," Sirius said, laughing as Harry slumped against his chest.

"You're a very evil man, you know," Melania said, though the amusement in her eyes told a different story of how she viewed his actions.

Smiling, Sirius shrugged. "You love me anyway."

Harry pouted. "You're still mean."

Pretending to look hurt, Sirius gasped. "Ah! I am not! I'll have you know tickling is a form of love where I'm from."

"Is that so?" Melania asked, Sirius barely having time to realize before she lifted her wand; sending him and Harry both to the floor in a fit of giggles.

Clutching his sides, Sirius yelled. "Ack! Stop- fuck!"

Doubling over, he wheezed. Damnit if she wasn't good at this.

"What was that?" Harry asked, and Sirius realized he wasn't laughing because their granny were torturing him- but at him.

"I will end you-" Laughter tore from his throat, cutting him off.

"Come again?" His granny asked, a shit-eating grin on her face.

"Fuck- fine I'm sorry!" Magically, the hex lifted. Breathing, Sirius sat up, glaring at the smug woman.

"Hades, how would you like to babysit your father while I make us some cookies?" Melania asked, crouching down to be at the boy's level.

Harry's eyes lit up and he nodded profusely, not even complaining when his granny gave him a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

Sirius groaned, his ribs were still sore from earlier.

Currently, Harry and his granny were plotting world domination over the cookies she had made, he was the unknowing witness to their plot.

"So you think Fudge is going to win?" Melania asked, eyebrows raised.

Harry nodded, swallowing. "Daddy says he has no.. That he's not very smart, so everyone will want him to win."

"And why is that?"

"Cause," Harry said. "Uncle Lucius says it'll be easy to get what we want that way, and most people agree with Uncle Lucy."

_Important purebloods_, Sirius wanted to correct, but really, there wasn't much of a difference these days.

"What do you want?" Sirius asked instead, regaining his son's attention.

Chewing on his chocolate chip cookie thoughtfully, Harry gave a shrug. "No more floo travel, I hate it."

"Well, how would we visit anyone, then?"

"Pegasuses," Harry answered automatically, earning a small laugh from Melania.

"It's technically pegasi, Harry," Sirius gently corrected. "Like cacti."

"Oh," Harry said, before perking up again. "Well we could have them pull carr.. Carr.."

"Carriages?"

"Mhmm! We can have them pull those. They could take us places really fast, and then there would be no need for floo travel."

"He makes a compelling case," Melania grinned. "Maybe we should get Lucius to whisper it in Fudge's ear."

Rolling his eyes, Sirius bit into his cookie. "That'll be the day."

His granny and father started talking again, but Harry wasn't really paying attention, he had noticed something.

"You really should visit more often," His Granny was saying. "I feel like Hades has grown a foot since the last time you did."

His father rolled his eyes. "It's only been a week."

"Yes well.." His Granny began, but Harry couldn't keep it in any longer.

So he blurted out, "Why aren't we together?"- Returning the adults' attention back to where it should be; on him.

"We are together, Harry."

Harry frowned, and shook his head. "No we aren't."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Harry I don't know what you mean-"

"On the family tree," Harry said, gesturing towards the ancient tapestry, "Everyone else is under there mummy and daddy, but I'm not..."

Sirius exchanged a look with his granny, before swallowing and moving to sit beside Harry on the couch.

"Hades," Sirius began. "You know I love you, right? Regardless of how hard it is to wake you up or how much you torture me."

Harry nodded, tilted his head to the side like a little puppy. "Is it something bad?"

Sirius struggled to think of how best to respond, before sighing. "Hades, you know how Vinnie doesn't have a dad, right?"

Nodding, Harry didn't look any less confused. "Are you his daddy?"

"What? No- no I was just.. Nevermind," Sirius looked over at the tapestry. "Do you ever wonder why you call my pops and grams your Uncle Pollox and Auntie Irma? But we call granny and grandad the same thing?"

Harry shook his head. "Why is that?"

"It's because your Uncle Pollox is your uncle, but he's my grandfather," Sirius explained, gesturing towards the tapestry. "You see that woman beside him? Dorea Black?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "She's above me."

"That's because she's your grandma," Sirius explained. "And her son was your father, your birth father. He.. Something happened, and they couldn't take care of you anymore, so I took you in."

Harry's brows forwarded. "But.. I... I don't understand, daddy."

Sirius stood up, crouching in front of Harry as he took his little hands into his own, larger ones. "I didn't make you, I chose you. You're biologically my baby cousin, but I adopted you."

"I'm.. I'm like CeCe or Draco to you?" Harry asked, eyes widening.

"Oh no," Sirius cupped his cheek, brushing his hair out of his face. "I love you like my own son. You are my son. In every single way that matters. You believe me, don't you?"

Harry thought for a moment, staring into his father's silver eyes before he slowly nodded.

Of course he believed him, his father had never lied to him before.

* * *

**Couple o' things touched upon in this chappy**

**Sirius has to tell Harry he's adopted for the first time, that's always hard. I remember when my cousin first found out she was adopted, especially because her biological dad could have been in her life but was choosing not to be. Hope I did this kind of thing justice**

**Harry's going to start his lessons, but there is still the issue of whether the dark arts will be included in the curriculum. Sirius doesn't like the thought of it- he knows it would make James and Lily roll in their graves, but there's still the practicality he can't argue against.**

**How could he deny Harry something that could potentially save his life?**

**Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, let me know what you think, and most importantly enjoy!**


	25. Cousin Nymphadora's Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's favorite cousin has news!

**(I don't own Harry Potter or it's characters, just this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

It had been a relatively normal day in Germany. Harry had woken up well after his father, eaten his breakfast, and had caught lizards and worms in the garden for the rest of the morning.

That is, it was a normal morning until his father bounded out the back door, a huge smile on his face; followed closely behind by Harry's favorite cousin, Nymphadora.

"Wotcher, Hades!" She called, running over towards him. Nymphie's hair was beautiful mixture of red, yellow, blue, and green today. "You'll never guess what happened."

"You found a talking lizard in your attic and it wants to start a rebellion."

Laughing, Nymphie shook her head. "No, _silly!_ I got my Hogwarts letter! Today! It's addressed to my room and everything!"

Taking it out, Nymphie let Harry look at it, despite the fact he still couldn't read English yet.

"We're planning on going shopping tomorrow," Nymphie continued babbling. "Mum says you and Uncle Siri are welcomed to come, we'll make a day of it."

"Are you gonna get a wand?" Harry asked, the thought of having his own wand sounded particularly amazing.

"Yup!" Nymphie confirmed, her hair lightening to a golden color. "And mum says I can pick my own cat or toad. I'd rather have a cat, toads are kind of gross."

Giggling, Harry picked up one of the worms he'd dropped that hadn't quite gotten back in the ground. He held it up to Nymphie, causing her to scream and jump back.

Sirius leaned against the doorframe, grinning as he watched his son chase his niece around the garden. It reminded him of when he and Andy were younger.

* * *

Harry held his head high as they walked into the Leaky Cauldron's main area, as even at just four years old he knew how he was supposed to behave in public better than most half-bred adults. At least that's what his Aunt Narcissa told him, anyways.

His daddy gripped his shoulder, while Auntie Andy had Nymphie hold her hand while Uncle Ted led them from the pub, ignoring the stares following them.

"I think we should get her robes picked out first," Andromeda said. "That way they can be finished for us when we are on our way out."

"I don't know," Ted said, brushing his blond hair out of his eyes. "I'd kinda like to get the apothecary out of the way, it's terribly smelly in there."

"I want to get my cat first," Nymphie piped in, only to be ignored by her parents.

"Well I suppose Nymphadora and I could head on over and get that done.." Andromeda said, then turned towards Sirius. "Could you and Hades could go to Flourish and Blotts for her books? I know you have your own shopping, but there's this author having a book signing there and-"

"Wait, you mean Gilderoy Lockhart?" Nymphie asked, her hair flushing bright pink.

Blinking, Andromeda nodded. "He's selling this new werewolf book, honestly I don't-"

Nymphadora turned to Sirius, "Oh can I go with you? I love Lockhart's stories and I'd do just about _anything_ to meet him in person."

Sirius laughed awkwardly, "He's really not that special. I went to school with him and he was honestly full of himself-"

Harry watched Nymphie's hair change from pink to orange, and he covered his ears when she squealed.

"Oh _please_ introduce me to him! I'll be good I _swear-"_

"None of that," Ted said, obviously not liking his daughters obvious crush on the author. "You will go with your mother as planned, I don't want to hear any arguments."

"But-"

"No, you heard your father."

Nymphadora's hair drained black, and her eyes clouded to a stormy grey color. "Okay.."

"Here," Sirius offered, hoping to lift the mood. "Why don't I go pick one of his new books up for you? I'll get it signed and everything."

It worked, Nymphie's hair returned to a bright yellow and she hugged Sirius around the neck. They got a few odd looks from those who didn't believe Blacks were capable of affection.

Ted scowled, but a look from Andromeda reduced him to simple muttering. Oh the woes of fathering a daughter.

* * *

Sirius shoved people out of his way as he entered Flourish and Blotts. Merlin's tits the entrance was crowded as hell.

He led Harry over to a corner, bending down to meet his eyes as he said, "You may go look through the kiddies section while I get Nymphie's books. What are our rules?"

"If it looks like it'd belong in one of our libraries, don't touch it." Harry replied, sounding bored. He repeated the phrase many times..

"Good lad," Sirius said, ruffling his hair. "Go on and have some fun, maybe look for something extra to give to Ceres this weekend."

Harry murmured an acknowledgement before he ran towards the back, looking for the picture books.

Sirius sighed, now he had to wait in that horrible line for Nymphadora.

It wasn't as bad as Sirius was expecting. Lockhart probably had some sort of body guard to escort the wine mom's out after they got their copies.

"Ah, I'm surprised to see you here, Black." Lockhart said, flashing him a smile. "Pleasantly, of course, but surprised none the less."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "I'm here for my niece, you know how little girls are."

Laughing, Lockhart opened a book,_ "Sure_ you are, and what might her name be?"

"Nymphadora," Sirius said. "It's spelt 'Nymph' then an 'a' then 'Dora- yeah like that. Thanks."

Sirius was surprised when Lockhart handed him two, "I didn't-"

"Please, on me." He flashed him another smile. "I've been told my stories can be quite.. captivating."

Face feeling warm, Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll bet."

Lockhart, either ignoring or not hearing the sarcasm, flipped his hair unnecessarily out of his eyes. "You know, with my sudden rise to fame and all, I've been going to more and more glorious parties as of late."

"Oh, have you?"

"Yes, though you probably haven't noticed. You Black's don't attend events hosted by lesser blood, do you?"

Sirius sputtered, "Wh-what?"

"It's just an observation." Lockhart said, gaze calculative. Under all his flaunts and grandeur, it was easy to forget just who he was. "One I find strange, given your public claims to support muggle and half-blood rights."

Sirius felt the flush leave his face in a rush, leaving him an unhealthy pale. "I only attend the events I do because my family hosts them, there really isn't anything else to it."

"Yes, but it isn't how it looks, is it?"

Sirius should've seen this coming. Granted, he could at least give Lockhart props on having the gall to call him out on his supposed evil deeds to his face.

Lockhart handed him the books, fingers lingering over his own. Sirius reapplied his mask of indifference, "It's not exactly like I'm often invited to such events in the first place."

Lockhart chuckled at that, "I don't think many have the spine to hold up the quill and attempt writing the invite. Though, I myself don't believe that's necessary at this moment. I will be attending McNair's Gala at the end of the month, and I would be happy to give you the honor of accompanying me."

Scratch that. Sirius could strangle the pompous arse for having the audacity to try this shit. He could safely say Lockhart was either so self-confident in his newfound fame that he had no fear about an ex-Death Eater murdering him out of spite, or he never believed Sirius to be one in the first place.

Sirius would bet his wand on the first, because he doubted Lockhart would bet his life on the latter.

"I'll have to speak with my grandad first," Sirius replied evenly. "I wouldn't want to have to cancel if my family had something else planned, you see."

Raising an eyebrow, Lockhart continued to grin at him. "Do you have to ask your grandaddy everytime you wish to have fun?"

Sirius turned up his nose in a haughty way, "Of course not!"

"Then I'll be seeing you on the first."

Sirius didn't deigned Lockhart worthy of a respite. Hades was probably bored out of his mind waiting on him by now, anyways.

* * *

Harry walked around the shelves, scanning the book spines to see if one might catch his eye when he accidentally bumped into someone.

While Harry might have been trained from a young age to walk and talk with a certain grace, he was still four. Thus, he was unable to fight gravity and fell rather pitifully on his rump.

Groaning, he looked up to see a tall, ragged looking man with light brown hair. He was a bit intimidating, what with all his scars.

"Are you okay?" He asked, bending down, and that's when Harry saw he was wearing an employee uniform. "Any scraped or bruises?"

"I'm _fine."_ Harry turned his head up haughtily, "I only fell because you were standing in the middle of the.. of the book-way!"

The man looked around, "Where's your mum?"

Harry stood up, dusting his robes off. "I don't have one, daddy's getting Nymphie her books."

"Oh," The man face twisted in a way Harry wasn't used to, sympathy. "I lost my mum when I was little, so you're not alone."

Harry had never felt so confused in his life, "But I didn't _lose_ my mum, I just don't _have_ one."

The man looked like he wanted to say something before he shook his head, straightening back up. "Well, is there anything you're looking for? Can you read yet?"

"In German," Harry answered, "And no, not really."

"Hmm.." The man looked around, before grabbing a little picture book. "I'm not sure if we have anything in German, but these picture books are pretty universal."

Harry took it and after deciding that yes, it was probably safe to read, sat at the little table and opened it up. It was a little story about a girl finding out she was a witch, and Harry soon forgot all about the shaggy man restocking the shelves.

"Hades," He heard his father call. Looking over to see him walking over, "We have what we need, let's go check.."

Sirius stopped short when he locked eyes with Remus, feeling like the heat had been zapped from the room.

He looked a bit tired, maybe even more ragged than before- but there was no mistaking those amber eyes. He'd recognize them anywhere.

"You look well," Sirius said after a while, biting the inside of his cheek.

Remus gritted his teeth, "Save it for someone who gives a damn about what you think."

Sirius flinched, "I wrote to you- I'm not sure if you got my letters.."

"Oh I got them," Remus shoved a book back onto the shelf. "Made nice kindle for my fireplace."

His lip curled when he saw the book he was holding, "Suppose it makes sense you'd read that rubbish."

Sirius's face flushed, "This is for my niece-"

"And she needs two books, does she?"

Harry looked between the two, before collecting the story book and walking over to his father.

"Daddy, I think CeCe might like this."

Sirius tried for a smile, bending down to look at the book. "Hmm.. The Little Witch? You sure?"

"Mhm!" Harry grinned, "It only has pictures, so we can read it together!"

Sirius looked up at Remus, "I hope he didn't bother you too much, he usually doesn't take to strangers."

Remus lip thinned, "Considering I wouldn't have guessed he were your child, I'd say he were an angel."

"I am sorry," Sirius said. "I know you don't believe me, but I am."

"A Death Eater with a moral conscious?" Remus scoffed, "And here I thought I'd seen everything."

"Is there a problem here?" Blotts, one of the owners, asked.

Sirius, knowing full well that if he complained they'd fire Remus, shook his head. "Just making sure this book is in the right language, your employee is just assisting us."

Nodding, Blotts looked a bit disappointed. Hmm, he must have started having his suspicions of Remus..

Watching him walk off, Sirius startled when he heard Remus growl. "You didn't have to do that."

Sirius turned, standing up straight and setting a hand on Harry's head. "I know, but I didn't want to give them the excuse."

Remus scoffed, rolling his eyes as he started restocking again. "Whatever."

* * *

After they left the bookstore, Sirius made his way over to Magical Menagerie; a store which sold various magical creatures, including half-kneazles.

Sirius's guess had been correct, after getting her robe size measured and potion supplies, Nymphie had talked her parents into taking her to get her cat. The trio were looking through the cages when Sirius and Harry walked through the door.

Harry's covered his ears and scrunched his nose up, the room was very loud and very smelly. Though he soon found that ignorable when he laid eyes on the kittens.

Sirius, realizing Harry was about to terrorize the poor things, set a hand on his shoulder to stop him from running over.

"Daddy look-" Harry began but was cut off when his father held his hand up.

"Yes, but before you go over there we need to discuss how you are to behave around them." Sirius began. "They're babies, so you must be quiet and are not to pull on their tails or ears. Understand?"

Harry nodded, but Sirius made him look at him.

"Hades."

"Yes Daddy," Harry answered, and Sirius let him go with a grin.

After a while of petting the half-kneazle kittens, Nymphie picked out a calico one and named her Misty. Sirius didn't particularly like cats, the sole exception having been Lily's cat Elvendork. He still didn't know what happened to him..

They decided to get some ice cream before getting Nymphie's wand. Ted taking the kids over to a table while Sirius and Andromeda went inside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour to give their orders.

"What can I get for you?" Florean asked, doing his best to seem unaffected by Sirius's presence.

"Two cones with chocolate ice cream, one cone with strawberry ice cream, and a vanilla cone please." Andromeda replied, smiling as the man went to work on that.

Leaning against the counter, Sirius sighed. Remus having reminded him of a particularly distasteful subject.

"Sickle for your thoughts?" Andromeda asked, eyes flicking over his dejected form.

Sirius gave a shrug. "I'm not sure if you'd be unbiased enough to really help me."

"Try me," Andromeda challenged. She waved her wand to keep eavesdroppers from listening in. "Worst I can be is disappointed in you."

Sirius sighed, "Grandad wants to start Harry on his lessons this year and.. Well, I haven't- I can't make up my mind about some.. aspects of his curriculum."

"The dark arts."

"Yes. He says Hades needs to be able to protect himself, and I want to say no but.. He's not wrong."

Andromeda nodded, "Then agree."

"What?" Sirius straightened up.

"I learned the dark arts, as did you, and we both turned out fine." She looked out the window, where Nymphie was chasing Harry around the tables, the pair being a couple of menaces. "And Nymphadora knows a couple of darker curses and hexes. So long as Hades understands they are only for self-defense, there's nothing wrong with it."

Sirius nodded, not having expected his cousin to actually agree with his grandfather. "I guess there isn't much to say about the matter, is there?"

"Something's bothering you," Andromeda stated. "Come on, out with it."

"It's about James and Lily." Sirius rubbed a hand over his face. "They hated the dark arts, and here I am about to consent to.. To a child learning them."

_"Your_ child, who may very well need them one day." Andromeda squeezed his shoulder, gently rubbing soothing circles into his skin. "You can't live your life trying to make them happy, otherwise you'll be miserable. Honor their memory by keeping Hades safe."

Sirius sighed, he truly, utterly hated it when she was right.

* * *

**Tonksie is going to Hogwarts :D our little Hufflepuff is growing up, and her first crush!**

**But in all seriousness, this chapter was a lot of fun to write! Remus got to meet Harry, Sirius got to talk to Andromeda about Harry's schooling, and Ted was properly introduced :)**

**If you're confused as to why Remus didn't somehow recognize Harry, consider a) Remus didn't know James as a toddler and Harry does look like he could be Sirius's biological son, b) he believes Harry to be with his muggle relatives, and c) that rage is a hell of a blinder**

**Hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think, like, and share!**


	26. Ceres Prewett

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ceres is turning five, there are ghosts in the floors, and Harry unfortunately could not convince his father to use pegasi instead of the floo.

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Harry hated floo travel.

It was confined, it made him sick, and left him covered in ash.

Coughing, Harry crossed his arms haughtily as his father waved his wand, banishing the soot. As if it made the trauma go away.

"Hades!" A voice exclaimed, and Harry was soon wrapped up in the arms of Ceres Prewett; his large and inhumanly strong cousin who loved him just a tad too much.

"CeCe, I'm not made of steel.." Harry groaned, not fighting his cousin's affections. Smiling despite himself as his cousin pulled away with a laugh.

"Happy birthday," Harry said. "Daddy has your present."

Ceres looked over at his Uncle, who was talking to his mum. "She won't let me open any until we have cake."

"That's mean," Harry crossed his arms. "You should get to open them whenever you want!"

"Right?" Ceres huffed, "Jokes on her, Uncle Lucy already gave me something."

Harry raised his eyebrows, leaning in to see the strange rock Ceres pulled out of his robes.

"It's a dragon's tooth," Ceres whispered. "He says he killed it himself."

"Killed?" Harry asked, brows forwarding.

"When you make something sleep forever," Ceres explain flippantly, shoving the tooth away before his mother saw. "When he visited you and Uncle Siri in Germany."

Harry didn't quite believe his Uncle Lucy actually killed a dragon- whatever that entailed- as he hadn't exactly mentioned it to him or Draco, but that might've been the point.

"Alright," His father suddenly said, walking up behind him. "Let's go see all your little friends, yeah?"

* * *

"Hey Draco! Pansy!" Ceres yelled, making the two in question jump. "Hades is here!"

Pansy squealed and ran over, and Harry did try to escape her.

"Pansy you know he doesn't like that," Blaise lightly reprimanded, coming up behind the group as his mother walked away. She was most likely trying to find him a new father.

Pansy looked up with a grin. She let Harry go in favor of hugging the Italian boy. "I missed you guys! I haven't seen you in _forever."_

Draco rolled his eyes, "Doesn't mean you have to choke us."

She glared, before a smile broke out across her face again. "Do ya wanna play Gobstones? My Papa got me a new set when we went to Mexico."

Ceres shook his head, "I think a little adventure is in order, wouldn't you agree, Hades?"

Harry smirked, "Oh yes, but what for?"

"The hollow sound under the third floor bedrooms is still a mystery," Draco pointed out. "And Ceres's birthday does give us ample cover to properly investigate."

"In.. In what?"

"Sorry Pansy, I forget you haven't started your lessons," Draco apologized. "It means we'll need to find out what the cause is."

"I think it's probably haunted," Ceres said. "Some old ghost who has nothing better to do than moan in the floor."

"Or maybe," Blaise said, drawing the other toddlers attention back to him. "There's a hole in the floorboards, with a secret inside."

"Like presents?" Ceres asked.

"Or maybe cake?"

"Dede, what kind of idiot would put cake in a floor?"

"I dunno, Draco, maybe someone who knew people like you would never think to look." Harry shot back.

Blaise sighed, "I was thinking more along the lines of buried treasure.."

Ceres eyes lit up, "Ooh, that would be awesome! Come on let's go before my cousins Freddie and George get here."

"Who?" Harry asked, following Ceres with their friends in tow.

"My cousins," Ceres repeated. "They're fine enough, but Freddie and George always get in trouble when they're here."

Harry didn't think he'd ever met a Freddie or a George, so they must've been from his Uncle Iggy's side of the family. Why else would he not have met them?

* * *

Sirius sipped on his champagne, listening to Crabbe complain about her latest boyfriend.

"Honestly, he has no sense of fashion," She grouched. "Just look at him, floundering around in those robes- they do nothing for his complexion!"

"Isn't Eric colorblind?" Bulstrode asked, laughing as Crabbe turned to glare at her.

"He could at least take his mirrors advice on what looks good," Crabbe said, picking a cherry out of her margarita. "It's the least I ask."

"Hey girls," Zabini called, her braids in a gorgeous updo.

As she approached, she offered Sirius her hand. "Mr. Black."

Sirius brought her hand to his lips. "I'm still not interested, Stella."

"Drat," Zabini drawled, flopping down besides Bulstrode and grabbing a flute of champagne from one of the passing serving plates. "You'd have been the perfect husband."

"More like I have the perfect sized bank account," Sirius muttered, earning a laugh from the Italian woman.

Grinning, Zabini scanned the crowd of important witches and wizards. "Hmm.. I think I'll try to pick a pureblood up tonight, any suggestions ladies?"

"I heard Patrick Parkinson was single," Crabbe shrugged. "He's cute."

"Nah, I've already tried," Zabini waved off. "He's as bent as Black, his father on the other hand.."

Bulstrode grinned, "Hey Black, maybe you should take a swing at him, eh?"

"What? Because he's gay?" Sirius scowled, "I'm not going to go for the first gay man I see, Denise."

"Yes, well, when was the last time you went on a date?" Crabbe asked, raising her eyebrows.

Sirius felt his face begin to heat up. "That's none of your business."

"I'm going to take that as a 'too long ago to remember'."

"I'm just not interested in dating right now," Sirius looked over at Parkinson. "Plus, we wouldn't work, we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things."

"You really need to get over that," Crabbe groaned. "It's not like you're about to convince any blood traitors you weren't in leagues with the Dark Lord."

Sirius gave an exaggerated eye roll. "We'll file that under a future-me problem, alright?"

"Leave him," Zabini leaned back with a sigh. "He'll come round when he's horny enough."

Sirius flipped her off, glaring at the laughter the action earned.

* * *

Harry and Ceres had just managed to lift the floorboards up when Uncle Lucy found them. He seemed rather thrown off balance when he saw what they were doing.

"What the hell-" He began, but was cut off when Draco saw something.

"Look! It's a piece of paper!" He announced, trying to grab it. "Ugh.. My arm's too short."

"Let me try," Blaise said. Draco moved aside to let the taller boy have a go.

After a few moments Blaise sat back, looking displeased. "It's impossible, none of us are big enough."

Lucius recollected himself, smoothing his features. "Draco, tell me what you five are doing."

_Aside from ripping the floor up like a bunch of barbarians_, Lucius mentally added.

"The floor moans," Draco explained. "We wanted to see if it was a ghost or not."

"Or treasure- which there is!" Blaise added, waving his arm towards the floorboards, "I saw it!"

Pansy pouted, "We can't reach it though."

Suddenly her eyes lit up, turning to Lucius as she started to jump up and down like an excitable dog. "Oh! Oh! Mr. Malfoy has long arms!"

Blinking, Lucius bit the inside of his cheek as the kids started looking at him expectantly. They couldn't be serious.

"No," He said. "I'm not getting my robes dirty because you have overactive imaginations."

"But daddy," Draco whined. "I saw it! Surely you can-"

Shaking his head, Lucius gave his wand a wave, fixing the floor. Honestly, how had they broken it open in the first place?

Turning on his heels, he nodded towards the door, "Cake will be served soon, and I don't imagine Ceres wants his uncivilized cousins to get through it first."

Ceres jumped up quickly, gesturing for the others to follow. Cousin Ronnie _would_ eat it all if you let him.

* * *

After everyone had eaten cake and Ceres had opened his presents, it was time for the parents to say goodbye to the kids sleeping over at the Prewetts.

Sirius hugged and kissed Harry unashamedly, holding him out at arms length as he asked for the hundredth time. "You _sure_ you'll be fine?"

"Yes, daddy," Harry rolled his eyes. "It's just Aunt Tia and Uncle Iggy."

Nodding, Sirius place one final kiss to his forehead. "If you want to come home, just let them know, okay? I'll come right over and get you."

"I'm not a baby!" Harry exclaimed indignantly, huffing as his father ruffled his hair.

Turning to Ignatius, Sirius whispered, "You're sure you're fine to do it?"

Ignatius nodded, "Once before he goes to bed and once in the morning. I have this under control."

Nodding, Sirius gave his Uncle a hug and his Aunt a kiss, before heading towards the drawing room. He floo'd away, leaving his son to the Prewetts for the weekend.

* * *

**Ceres is five :) and all the kiddies have a mystery to solve over their weekend at the Prewetts Manor. What could possibly be on that paper?**

**Will Sirius handle the separation okay? What about the other parents?**

**Let me know your guesses in the comments, like the story, but most importantly enjoy!**


	27. The Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Between maps, scars, and this strange pureblood-thing, Harry is understandably confused

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

As soon as the adults left, Auntie Tia set them up in the den with some toys and board games, but Harry was hardly interested in that.

"We need to find out what's under that board," He announced, his partners in crime nodding in agreement.

"Board?" Vinnie asked, his cousin Greg looking just if not more confused.

"That haunted one on the third floor," Ceres said. "The one that screams when you step on it."

"Ah," Nott plopped down, crossing his ankles. "You're up to something stupid, then?"

"You're stupid!" Harry shot back, throwing a couch pillow at the thin boy.

Nott glared and threw it back. "No you!"

"Idiot!" Harry shouted in German, which he knew the other boy did not speak.

_"la __bête__,"_ Nott shouted back, and Harry jumped up, reaching for another pillow.

Ceres threw a pillow at both of them, _"Will you stop?_ I've already told you; pretend to like each other in my presence."

Harry's lip twitched. "He started it.."

Nott's nostrils flared. "Liar!"

Ceres shot them with a look, silencing them.

A red-haired boy who Harry didn't know, asked, "What were you two saying?"

"Much of the same, I think," Harry said, glaring at Nott from the corner of his eye. "Do you not speak German or French?"

The boy shook his head, "Nuh-uh, what is it?"

"Languages," Draco answered. "They change depending on the country you're in."

"You're from London, then?" Pansy asked, leaning forwards from her spot on the floor.

The boy shrugged, "I dunno, I live near an apple orchard."

"Probably not then," Blaise said. "That's fine. Hades and I also live in the country, and Pansy doesn't stay in one place long enough to count."

The girl in question puffed her cheeks out. "Do not!"

"I think it's cool," A blonde girl named Daphne spoke up. "I wish father would take us out more often, it's boring watching my baby sister drool all day."

"I know what you mean," The red-headed boy said. "My sister learned to talk recently and never shuts up, drives me mad!"

"I like Ginny," Ceres frowned. "She's funny."

"That's because you don't have to deal with her all day," The red-head rolled his eyes.

Harry listened to them bicker, the haunted board forgotten for the moment.

* * *

It was early.

Far too early to be awake, so why his Uncle Iggy deemed it appropriate to defy this unwritten rule was beyond Harry. The surly four-year-old wanted very much to mutter all the naughty words he knew in German, but his Uncle spoke the language well enough to understand him. Harry settled for glaring at him.

Ignatius pulled out his wand. "Yes, I know. But we must do this before anyone else wakes up."

Harry looked at his wand, then realized what he was doing when his Uncle tapped his forehead- making his scar disappear.

Rubbing the skin, Harry's brows scrunched up when his Uncle didn't repeat the process with his friends- in fact, none of them had a mark on their foreheads.

Harry hadn't really thought about it, but now that he had, he didn't even know why his father (and now his uncle) did this whenever they left the house. Was there something wrong with him?

Harry contemplated this throughout the morning. Up until breakfast, when Draco said something which effectively distracted him from his dilemma.

"I was thinking we should get a House Elf to help us with the treasure," He began. "They have longer arms than us, and could crawl in and get if even if they can't reach."

The red-head boy, who Harry had learned was named Ronnie, eyes widened. "You have House Elves?"

Draco nodded. "Just about all of us do, I think. You are pureblood, aren't you?"

Ronnie's ears turned pink. "Yeah, not that it matters."

"My mummy says it does," Vinnie said. "It's the difference between great wizards and.. And not great."

"What is a pureblood?" Harry asked, not having heard the word before.

Pansy frowned, "It's just what we are."

"But what is it, though?" Harry asked, wondering if that was why he had the mark? Because he wasn't pureblood?

"It's like," Blaise began. "A way to say how much magic you have."

A murmur of agreement came from his friends, but Ronnie didn't look very pleased.

"It's just rubbish," He said to Harry. "My Daddy says so."

Harry didn't think a term to describe how much of a wizard you were could possibly be rubbish, but he supposed he could ask his own father about it when he went home tomorrow. Today, however, they had something to do.

"So," He said, turning to Ceres. "Think Pippy or Pots will be happier to help us?"

* * *

Pippy was _thrilled_ to be ordered to crawl in the cramped, dusty space between the third floor's floor and second floor's ceiling, negating the need to lift the boards up again.

This time they had more of a plan; a plan to prevent any adults from stopping them from getting the mystery paper.

They decided they'd need to send out groups to distract Aunt Tia and Uncle Iggy respectively. So Team A (comprised of Ronnie and Daphne) went for Lucretia, and Team B (comprised of Vinnie, Nott, and Greg) went for Ignatius. Blaise was on lookout.

"Do you think it's really treasure?" Draco asked.

Harry shrugged, leaning against the wall. "I think it's fun to pretend, plus it's gotta be something."

"What if the paper is cursed?" Pansy asked, worrying her lip. "Or.. Or hexed?"

"That's why Pippy's getting it."

"Got something!" Ceres yelled, catching their attention.

Pippy was out and looked fine, covered in a bit of dust, but not dead. She held out a folded piece of paper out to Ceres.

"I has gotten the paper for the young master," She said, bowing as she presented it.

Ceres grinned, taking the paper without thanks as he unfolded it, the others gathering 'round.

"What is it?" Harry questioned, squinting as he tried to read the strange text.

"Is it a treasure map?" Blaise asked, walking back up to them.

"I'm not sure," Ceres said, brows forwarding. "It's.. I can't read it."

"Give me that!" Draco grabbed the paper and held it out, only to look even more irritated. "It's in another language."

Harry rolled his eyes. "It's not German, Blaise?"

"Don't look at me," He said, holding up his hands. "I can't read Italian yet."

"You live there!" Draco demand, "How can you not?"

"My mother's been busy," Blaise deadpanned, which earned a sigh from the other four.

"Well it's not Spanish," Pansy said. "It looks like someone wrote out a bunch of.. H's? It's strange."

"Maybe Uncle Iggy or Auntie Tia will know?"

Ceres glared at Harry, "No way! I'll get in trouble if they know we dug this up."

Pansy frowned, "I could ask my brother, he won't tattle on me unless it's dangerous."

Ceres promptly handed the mysterious paper over, "Just don't tell him where you got it from."

Suddenly, Vinnie started running down the hall. "Mr. Prewetts coming! Theo and Greggy are holding him off-"

"We got it," Blaise replied. "It's nothing, really. Let's go bully Mrs. Prewett into giving us more cake, yes?"

Vinnie frowned, but seemingly decided it wasn't worth the argument. Turning back around to lead the five friends back from whence he came.

* * *

**Harry is very curious about his scar now, which you can hardly blame him for**

**The Map is another thing altogether, what do you guys think it is? Will Parkinson know anything about it?**

**On an unrelated note, I recently made a Tumblr ( IHateCheddar) where you can ask questions/ look at doodles I draw or whatever else one does with Tumblr**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!**


	28. Fraud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius does some light reading

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Sirius woke up that morning and almost had a heart attack when he reached over and couldn't even find his son's foot on the bed. Sitting up with a start, he remembered that Harry was at the Prewetts for the weekend.

Flopping back into bed, Sirius looked over at the clock. _Eight fifteen A.M_. Far too early to be conscious when a child wasn't depending on him in Sirius's humble opinion.

So it wasn't until around nine when he got up, took a shower, and set about the list of nothing he had planned today.

Sirius tried cleaning (which didn't take long with magic), cooking, running around the woods as Padfoot- yet, he was still inconceivably bored.

It was.. Odd. He used to do things before he had Harry, right? Granted, most of those things included fighting Death Eaters, running from Death Eaters, plotting to destroy said Death Eaters..

"I'm fucking boring," Sirius grumbled, flopping down on the couch only to yelp in pain- landing on something rather hard and sharp.

Sirius sat up with a groan, "Damnit Hades, I told you to put your toys away before we..."

Seeing it was in fact, not one of Harry's toys, Sirius clamped his mouth shut. Picking the thick book up in confusion, he remembered the bookstore, and his exchange with Lockhart.

"No way," Sirius said. "I'm not about to be the male equivalent of those sad wine moms. As if."

He wasn't going to give the smug bastard the satisfaction.

A few hours later, however, Sirius's resolve was dwindling. It wasn't like Lockhart would know he read his stupid book, right? It wasn't like he'd write him about it or anything.

It started out surprisingly good, Lockhart had nice grammar- Sirius would give him that. Though.. He soon started to realize why Remus had looked so pissed off in the shop.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of the werewolf information was just blatantly incorrect. Lycanthropes had no control of themselves while transformed, and even if they did most of them wouldn't go around attacking villages.

What actually sent Sirius was that Lockhart actually makes the claim that he cured this man- the Wagga Wagga Werewolf- of lycanthropy. Not even a "I wish it could have been this way"- No. The bastard makes the claim he cured one of the worst diseases in the world with a spell designed to shift animagi back to their human selves.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Sirius scowled down at the book cover. Certainly, someone else had noticed.. Right?

Granted, most didn't know much about werewolves or animagi. The former being classified as dark creatures and the latter being more obscure magic. That didn't mean Lockhart was just going to get away with it though. Someone would point it out and that would be that.

_I could point it out._

The thought hit him and didn't let go. Like a particularly sticky piece of gum that had lodged itself in his hair.

He could go to the Daily Prophet, but what good would it do? Sure, it might cause some controversy, but it wasn't likely that anything would stick.

It was unlikely anyone would believe The-Coward-of-Gryffindor. Not over Witches Weekly's favorite man-candy, anyways.

"But they might believe Lockhart.." Sirius realized, an evil grin spreading over his features as he rushed into his room; muttering a plan under his breath whilst putting on some of his nicer robes.

The Malfoy's were an uppity bunch, after all.

* * *

If someone had told Sirius six years ago that he'd be able to navigate Lucius's home like the back of his hand, he'd be fairly torn between laughing in their face and blasting it off. Now, he was rather resigned to the fact they were family.

Knocking on the door, Sirius smiled as he leaned against the doorframe. "Feeling any better, Cissy?"

His cousin, sick as she was, simply glared at him before lurching- a bucket appearing for her use in an instant.

"It's been three weeks," Sirius said with a shake of his head. "You really should see a healer."

"I'm not seeing my sister." Narcissa stated flatly, giving Sirius a look.

"Hey," Sirius laughed as he raised his hands in surrender. "I never specified that you should see Andy. Just someone to make you feel better."

Sitting up straight Narcissa set the bucket aside, it disappearing now that it was no longer in use. "It's just nausea, I'm fine."

Sirius brows rose but he said nothing more about it. She was as stubborn as him at times.

"I suspect you've heard of my run-in with Lockhart by now."

Narcissa nodded, lip curling in distaste. "Don't tell me you're actually going to go."

"Actually," Sirius began, "I think I should."

His cousin groaned loudly at that, "You must realize he's just using you for your status, yes? It's not even a major social event, so I don't see the point in wasting your time."

Sirius shrugged, "I don't know, I'm thinking it will be a mutually beneficial experience."

Narcissa's eyes narrowed, though her frown disappeared.

She considered her cousin for a moment. Leaning back, she raised a dainty eyebrow. "And just what are you up to?"

Sirius smirked and handed her the hard-backed copy that had been thrust upon him just a few days prior.

"How familiar are you with werewolves?"

* * *

**Just what could Sirius possibly be planning? And how does his beautiful, but currently ill, cousin factor into it?**

**Lockhart got away with a surprising amount of easily debunked bullshit originally. Sirius certainly isn't going to let him drag werewolves through the mud this time around**

**How is Hades doing at the Prewetts you might ask? Well, you're just going to have to find out next time :)**

**Also, on an unrelated note, would you guys be interested in any A:TLA fanfics? I've been working on a warrior Yue and airbender!Zuko au if you guys are**

**Let me know what you think!**


	29. Going Back to Germany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius picks up his curious child

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Harry groaned when his Uncle shook him awake the next day. It was much too early to be alive!

Sitting up, Harry managed a grumpy pout as his Uncle waved his wand and tapped his scar away. The man again neglected to repeat the process with his friends, who all lacked a mark.

Rubbing his forehead, Harry slipped out of bed and followed his Uncle Iggy down the hall. In the kitchen, his Aunt was reading the prophet, while Poppy was making some breakfast.

Looking up, Lucretia smiled upon seeing her nephew's messy hair. "Someone's up early."

"Uncle Iggy woke me up.." Harry moaned, slumping into a chair across from her. "Why is Poppy cooking?"

"Because I ordered her to," Lucretia replied, flipping through the paper.

"Daddy doesn't have Kreacher cook for us."

"Your daddy is a very paranoid man," His Aunt said with a laugh. "Honestly, he'd be suspicious of a pin if it weren't tacked on all the way."

Harry didn't quite know what 'paranoid' meant, but he supposed it didn't matter. His daddy likes to cook, and Kreacher didn't like doing anything for his daddy anyways.

Draco soon shuffled quietly in, looking dead on his feet. Ceres and Nott trotted behind him, looking like cheerfully annoying morning people.

"Morning, Hades!" Ceres chirped, saddling up beside him. "Sleep well?"

"I wish I could curse you and everyone like you." Harry grouched. He looked all the more murderous at the laugh his very serious threat earned.

"He's just jealous is all," Nott said, taking a seat beside a gently dozing Draco.

Harry's face reddened. "As if!"

"It's true," Nott smirked. "My father says it's the source behind all hostility. Which is why your father hates mine so much."

Harry stood up in his chair, pointing indignantly at Nott as he yelled. "Like my father would ever be jealous of yours!"

Nott leaned on the table, smirking. "You Blacks just can't handle being wrong, can you?"

"Now now," Lucretia said, stopping a screaming match in the making. "Be nice, your parents will be here soon and I hardly wish for them to find you behaving poorly."

Harry sat down with a huff. He glared at Nott from across the table. What a jerk!

It wasn't long before everyone was up, had eaten breakfast, and were dressed in high-quality casual play robes. The rest of the morning was spent in an impromptu chess tournament. Currently, they were at the tail end of the last game, the finalists being Ronnie and Daphne.

The blonde girl stuck her tongue out as she considered her next orders. Ronnie looked a bit impatient.

"Bishop, I want you to move here," She decided, the bishop taking Ronnie's Rook.

"Ugh.." Ronnie groaned. "Okay, Horsie, I want you to move here.. Here.. And, yeah, that's it."

Just a few moves later, Ronnie's Knight had taken both of Daphne's bishop's and Knight's, and ultimately killed her king.

"What!?" She exclaimed, blue eyes wide.

"I told you," Ceres grinned. "He's unstoppable."

Ronnie flushed, though looked rather pleased. "I just play a lot, is all."

"I should ask my daddy for a chess set," Harry thought aloud. "Then I can beat you next time."

"You're on!"

Pansy rolled her eyes, flopping down besides Daphne. "Whatever, I'd rather bully my brother into playing hide and seek."

Ronnie frowned. "I'd try, but Freddie and George aren't very nice.. And Percy won't play."

"Didn't Ceres say you had like.. Ten brothers?" Blaise asked, sitting on the floor beside Ronnie.

"Five," Ronnie corrected. "And it doesn't matter much when two of them are always gone."

"Are they grown ups?" Harry asked.

"Worse, they're at Hogwarts."

Draco frowned. "But that's a good thing, it means they're wizards."

"Yeah, but I never see them," Ronnie whined. "At least if they were grown-ups they could visit."

Pansy nodded. "That's why Papa waited til Patty was out of school to have me, so we could spend lots of time together."

"Well, anyways." Vinnie said. "Wanna play hide and seek?"

The kids all murmured mutual agreements, Greg being delegated to the first seeker.

* * *

Sirius strode out of the floo, heading to the Prewetts receiving room much like he usually did when he visited. The room was less extravagant than the Malfoy's, but only slightly so. Big, golden hippogriffs decorated the pillars of white quartz, drawing attention to the similarly colored furniture.

Lucius popped in a minute later, obviously deciding he'd savor apparation so long as he were able to use it. Narcissa was still down with the flu, apparently.

"Sirius," He nodded, taking a seat beside him on the couch. "I trust you got home alright last night?"

"No, I gave up half-way and slept on a park bench."

Scowling, Lucius playfully hit him with his paper, wagging it in his cousin's grinning face. "Not funny."

Adjusting his glasses, Sirius grinned widened. "Aw, you worried about little ole me?"

"You're such a child sometimes!"

"Perhaps," Sirius snatched the paper from his cousin-in-law. Looking back over at Lucius, the corners of his lips quirked up in a smirk. "Or you're just a grouch."

Scoffing, Lucius tried his best to still look displeased as he read the paper over his irritating cousin's shoulder.

"Black, Malfoy." Crabbe announced a few moments later, dusting herself off as she stepped out of the fireplace. Her blue eyes taking in the two men briefly before she made her way over to an empty loveseat.

"Crabbe," Sirius nodded. "Picking both boys up or will we be seeing Goyle today?"

She sighed. "You know how he is, he'd complain for the rest of his life if I didn't go ahead and collect Gregory."

"'And it's not worth the argument'." Nott mocked, stepping up beside her. "Well, I suppose you don't look too horribly hungover, Crabbe."

"I can make you feel as though you _are_, Dorius."

"Oh, but where is that fire when your brother-in-law is around, hm?" Nott smirked. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you liked submitting to him."

Sirius tried to hide his enjoyment at watching Crabbe use the knee-cap breaking curse on Nott. Though, his screaming did make it a bit hard on the ears.

"Anyways," Crabbe said, shoving her wand back up her sleeve. "Are you two picking anyone else up?"

"I'll be getting Blaise," Lucius answered. "His mother had to go to the Italian ministry about his last stepfather's will."

"Just Hades for me," Sirius replied. "Parkinson might collect Daphne for the Greengrasses, I suppose."

"Which one still begs the question, Black." A gruff voice called, which belonged to a well-built man with a strong chin. Patrick Parkinson.

"Word is that your father is in Venice, so it isn't that hard to figure it out."

Parkinson rolled his eyes, "Zabini is such a loose-lipped bitch."

"True, though I actually heard it from your little sister." Sirius smile softened, "We still on for the fourth?"

"Of course, you're still on snack detail though."

"Damnit."

On the floor, Nott moaned quietly.

* * *

Harry's eyes lit up when he spotted his father. Running first to give Sirius a hug, before switching to his Uncle Lucy once Draco was done with him.

"CeCe said you killed a dragon!" He exclaimed. "Is that true?"

Draco's eyes widened before turning back to his father, nodding. "He showed us the tooth and everything!"

"Erm," Lucius puffed himself up. "Of course I did, remember the limp I had for the rest of that day?"

The kids ate it up. Sirius gave Lucius a vaguely amused look; the big fat liar had been limping because he'd tripped and fallen over a tree root.

After letting Harry bid Ceres and all his little friends' goodbye (and a reluctant handshake with Nott's brat) Sirius bribed him into jumping into the floo, and finally, they were home.

Harry scowled as he let his daddy vanish the soot away. "Can I have my brownie now?"

Sirius smiled, nodding as he made his way out of the den and into the kitchen, Harry following closely behind.

Opening the fridge, Sirius asked, "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, climbing up on his chair. "We played catch the snitch, tag, had an adventure or two, and hide and seek.. Oh! And had a chess tournament before you got us!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves," Sirius said whilst handing Harry his treat. "I trust you didn't get into too much trouble?"

Harry vehemently shook his head as he bit into his brownie before a more pensive look washed over his features.

Sirius cocked his head to the side, before mockingly asking. "Oh no, you didn't break something, did you?"

"Am I pureblood?" Harry asked, which washed the playful smile off of Sirius's face.

* * *

**Harry's home but not without questions, how will Sirius handle them?**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I hope everyone is getting along alright and are staying healthy during the pandemic, or at the very least this chapter helped take the edge off. Let me know what you think, like, and share with your friends!**


	30. Purity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius tells Harry a story

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

"What?"

"Pureblood," Harry repeated, looking up at his father. "I don't think I am, am I? That's why I have a mark and nobody else does."

Sirius rubbed his hands over his face, sinking into a chair across from Harry. "Where in Merlin's beard did you hear that word?"

"At CeCe's," Harry replied.

Sirius sighed, looking up to meet his son's bright green eyes. "No, you aren't- but that's not why you have your scar."

Harry looked very crestfallen. "But.. I wanna be great though!"

"Being Half-blood doesn't mean you can't be great," Sirius assured. "Who told you otherwise?"

Harry frowned. "Blaise says it means you have a lot of magic in your blood, if I don't have a lot how can I be a good wizard?"

"Oh, Harry. That's not the kind of magic that stands for, it's.. It's about blood." Harry watched his father struggle for a moment, before saying."It just means how many wizards you have in your family, alright? I'm pureblood because all my parents and grandparents were wizards, you aren't because of your birth mummy. It doesn't actually affect whether or not you'll be good at magic."

"So Blaise lied?"

"No, I'm sure he just misunderstood his mother is all," Sirius lied, knowing that's probably exactly how Stella had worded it.

Harry rubbed his forehead. "Why do I have the mark then?"

Sirius sighed, he knew letting him have that sleepover had been a bad idea.

"Harry, remember a few weeks ago when I told you that you were adopted?"

Harry nodded, hands folding in his lap. "Is that what it means?"

"No," Sirius shook his head. "Otherwise I'd have one smack dab on my head. It's-"

"Your Daddy was also your cousin?" Harry asked, looking very confused.

"Did I not mention I was also adopted?" Sirius asked innocently, secretly glad to have switched the subject. Harry was really far too young to know a genocidal maniac had tried to murder him.

Seeing the shake of the head he received, Sirius leaned back and made a show of tapping his chin.

"Well," He began. "I suppose we can't really get into that until I tell you how I met the greatest man I ever knew, James Potter."

Harry cocked his head to the side, "Who's he?"

His daddy smiled, perhaps a bit sadly. "My brother and best friend. We met fourteen years ago, on my first day at Hogwarts. I had decided to sit alone in an empty compartment, still in my best robes, instead of looking for someone who I might recognize. I didn't want to look desperate for friends, you see."

Harry stared at his father, attention rapped.

"Then this boy bounced in looking like he might just burst into tears, and I thought 'Dear Merlin this twat is going to flood us'!" Sirius chuckled, "He didn't, but he still looked glum as he looked out the window, and I realized he was looking at this old couple who looked prouder than anyone I ever did see.

'They your grandparents?' I asked, trying to be kind, like your Aunt Andy. He shook his head and went on to explain that he was a miracle baby-"

Seeing the look of confusion on Harry's face, Sirius winced. "It's what you call a child born to an older couple, since it's really rare. So I asked why he looked so sad, and he gave me the most affronted look and said 'Why shouldn't I be sad? I won't be able to see my mother for nearly five months!' and I started laughing, because I thought that was such a silly thing at the time."

"But I don't think I could ever go that long without you!" Harry insisted, looking scarily similar to his birth father in the moment.

Sirius nodded. "Yes, but my mother wasn't very nice, so I couldn't have understood his view even if I wanted to back then."

Sirius smiled down on his clasped hands. "Jamie got really mad and told me to stop being a prat. That shut me up, because I'd never actually had any of my so-called friends stand up to me before, and I told him as much; I was actually kind of impressed that the snot-nosed softie had the set to try it."

Harry brows forwarded. "Set?"

"Anyways," Sirius went on, ignoring the question. "We got on well enough after that, and it was just fate when we were sorted into the same Hogwarts house."

"There are houses at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, there are four houses you can be sorted into." Sirius hummed, thinking about the best way to explain it. "Ravenclaw represents creativity and wisdom, Hufflepuff represents loyalty and kindness, Slytherin represents ambition and cunning, and Gryffindor represents nobility and bravado."

"Which one did you go to?" Harry asked, though Sirius could tell he was really asking 'where will I go?'

"Well I went to Gryffindor, but each house is great in its own way."

"I wanna be brave though!"

Sirius smiled, brushing his son's bangs back. "You might get sorted for that, or your clever mind, or your kind heart. It really doesn't matter to me, understand?"

Harry looked like he was about to argue, before he simply nodded. Good. Sirius didn't want to argue with a four-year-old today.

"Anyways, I was sorted into Gryffindor and was excited and scared at the very same time. My birth parents didn't approve, but it's like I said; they were jerks."

Harry giggled at that, earning a smirk from his father.

"James, as well as our two other friends, helped me forget about their jerky-ness though. I was really happy, and became much happier when James's parents took me aside and explained that they wanted me. That I could be their son too, if I was okay with it."

"They chose you," Harry realized, his father's words from before coming back to him. His daddy nodded, ruffling his curls.

"Mhm. Mummy and daddy were the best parents you could have ever had," Sirius said. "Better than me, or Andy, or anyone- they loved with all their hearts and took me in without question, nevermind the fact I was already nearly grown. My blood never mattered to them, not like it mattered to my birth parents."

"I think you're the best daddy," Harry said defiantly. "There's no contest!"

Sirius gently cupped his cheek, "That's because you never met them. Mummy would braid my hair before I went to sleep and held me when I cried.. Daddy would stay awake with me for hours when I had nightmares or were just too upset to sleep, even walk around the property with me despite his bad hip..."

Sirius shook his head at the memories. "Those kinds of selfless people just don't come around often, Hades. If you ever meet someone like that, hold on to them, alright? Never take them for granted."

Harry gave his father a hard look, before gently pulling his hand off his face and leaping forwards to wrap him in a tight hug.

His daddy wasn't going anywhere, Harry would make sure of it.

* * *

Harry opened his eyes, his room dark.

It was the same every night, he'd have some awful dream about the laughing man and the bright green light, and then he couldn't go back to sleep.

Slipping out of bed, he tiptoed and pulled his door open, looking out into the hallway. His father's door was just down the hall.

He always hated this part, it was like the monster was waiting for him to blink. The darkness gave him ample cover to hide in, until it was too late.

Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and quickly sprinted down the hall, practically barreling into his father's room. He very nearly slammed the door shut behind him.

His father had the blankets pulled around him protectively, curled up into a fetal position which made it very hard to crawl up and cuddle with him. But he eventually wiggled into the space between his arms and chest.

Harry closed his eyes, feeling his heart steady to the beat of his father's. The bad man couldn't get him here, he was safe.


	31. Uncle and Auntie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry sees a Quidditch game

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

"There's my favorite hellion!"

Harry grinned as soon as he laid eyes on his Uncle Polly's bald head. He started laughing delightedly as the man lifted him up and swung him around in a hug.

Sirius rolled his eyes as he was dragged into a tight embrace by his grams.

"Now remember; hold ya' tongue. I don't wanna hear you've been mouthin' off like last time."

Sirius rolled his eyes with a grumble, "I wasn't mouthing off, I just didn't give Fudge an inch. I get why you all want him in office but-"

"Trust me, Siri. It's better to be in that man's ear than a needle in his arse," Pollox interrupted, settling Harry on his hip. "It's between him and Crouch right now, and we both know how much worse that would be."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll lay off." Sirius pulled away to give Harry a grin. "You excited for the game?"

"Duh! The Harpies are gonna beat the Wigs so good they won't even wanna fly anymore."

"That bad, huh?" Sirius shook his head in amusement. "Maybe they'll get lucky and will just forfeit."

"For-what?"

"Forfeit," His Auntie chuckled. "It means ta give up. Your daddy's just being a snarky thing."

Harry opened his mouth in an 'oh' expression. Frowning, he shook his head.

"I want them to at least try, or it's pathetic."

His daddy opened his mouth as if to say something, before shaking his head. It must not have been important.

Crouching down, he met Harry's eyes as he cupped his face. "Be good for your Auntie and Uncle, alright?"

Grinning, Harry gave a nod. He giggled as his dad kissed his cheek before standing, and then suddenly he disappeared! Turning on the spot with a loud 'pop'!

Turning back to him, his Auntie smiled. "You ready to go? No potty breaks?"

Harry gave a determined nod, and they were off.

* * *

The Quidditch arena was BIG. Bigger than big, actually. Harry's four-year-old brain could barely comprehend how amazing it all was.

It was all the more impressive from their private box, where they could watch the game without anyone yelling in their ears or blocking the view. Harry was practically vibrating from his spot in his Uncle's lap when the teams stepped out.

"..That's Don Mont, and there's Gerda Bokins," His Uncle pointed out, drawing Harry's attention to a short woman whose face was.. Well, there wasn't much left of it, from what he could see. "Wild lass, according to your Uncle Lucius."

"What's wrong with her face?"

"Nothin now," His Auntie said. "She was just hurt during- she had a really bad booboo, so it left a scar."

Harry's hand unconsciously flew up to his forehead, is that what had happened? He'd gotten a booboo?

"Irma.." His Uncle gruffed, sending Auntie Irma a look Harry didn't understand. She sighed.

"I know, I know," Irma sighed, before frowning. Harry looked pale, his pretty green eyes wide as he watched the beater race laps around the pitch.

"Is something wrong, love?"

"Does.." Harry bit his lip. "Do you think it still hurts?"

Pollox exchanged a look with his wife before giving Harry a gentle squeeze. "No, I don't, and I wouldn't worry about it anymore. The only thing that scar means is that Bokins is tough as shit."

Looking at Bokins face as she once again flew past their box, Harry could almost feel the tingles from where his scar laid. Hidden beneath the spells his father had cast this morning.

Was that what his mark meant? That he was tough? But if that were true... Why didn't his father just say so?

"And There goes Rey, taken down by a Bludger straight from Bokins bat. Now the Harpies have the Quaffle! Devis is on his way to the Wigtown's goalkeep-"

Then again, his scar wasn't nearly as large as Bokins, so maybe it just didn't mean much. Or, perhaps, his father thought his toughness was just evident enough to not need any explanation.

Harry shook his head. Whatever it was, it must not be that important. His father would have told him otherwise.

Leaning forwards, Harry watched Bokins and the other beater, Yue Agni, chase the Wig's Seeker while everyone else was worrying over Devis. A flick of gold catching his sharp eyes-

"-And there goes the Wigtown's Seeker, after the snitch with the Harpies beaters right on her tail, look at her go!"

He flinched visibly when the Wig's seeker failed that dive, it looked like it hurt when she hit the ground.

"Think she'll be okay for the next game?" Irma asked as she leaned into her husband, fingers absentmindedly mussing up Harry's curls.

"Give her a few skele-o-grow potions and Addison will be dancing her way onto the damn field."

Harry covered his mouth, the image of it all sending him into a fit of giggles.

His Auntie Irma grinned. "I expect she might just burst into song like a cheerful cluster!"

Pollox snorted, watching fondly as his nephew erupted into a laughing mess. Wrapping an arm around Irma, he let himself a moment to just feel content with what he had.

* * *

Auntie Irma and Uncle Polly's home was different from his own. They lived in France, in a big old house that Harry still hadn't fully explored, that was near a big pond that he could play in.

Unlike his home, the woods were separated from the house by a giant field. It had an abundance of wild flowers and grasses which made the whole place feel like something out of a story book. Today, the vast fields made it exceptionally easy to see the stars, particularly the one's his Uncle was pointing out to him.

"That one's Aunt Andy?" Harry asked, amazed by the prospect.

His Uncle Polly nodded. "And that one is Pegasus, he connects to Andromeda's by the naval star, Alpheratz. Your cousin Ceres was almost named after it."

"CeCe?" Harry scrunched up his nose at that, it didn't sound like a pleasant name to have.

Laughing, his big, booming laugh, Pollox grinned at Harry. "Trust me, there are worse out there. Look, there's Bootes."

"Bootes?!"

"Of course, getting a mouthful of a name isn't much better. Ever heard of the giraffe constellation?"

Harry shook his head, turning to look up at his Uncle as the man leaned up some. "Camelopardalis."

Harry gasped, "No one can really be named after it, can they?"

"Probably at some point," Pollox chuckled. "I'll have to check next time I decide to give ole Tori a yank."

Harry scowled, looking up at the night sky. "Why would they do that?"

"Sounds fancy and cause they can." That.. Sounded about right. Fanciness was important, after all.

Pollox pointed over. "That's your cousin Draco's constellation right there, see?"

"It's pretty," Harry answered honestly. "Where's dad?"

"You'll have to look over there, see? That's Canis Major; inside is the brightest star of all, Sirius!"

Harry looked over the stars before the bright one caught his eye. It made perfect sense that his dad was named after the best, what else could have done the man justice?

"Where's my star?" Harry asked after a while, the fireflies and fairies chasing each other around the field. Their playful antics lighting up the night.

"You're actually named after a planet," His Uncle explained. "So a big ball of rock instead of a big ball of fire. We'll need a telescope to see it properly."

"Can we get one?"

Pollox thought for a moment, before shrugging. "I don't see why not."

They spent the rest of the night under the stars.

* * *

**Another chapter done!**

**In every world Harry is going to love Quidditch, this is no different lol ** **I hope you enjoy and that you all are doing okay, please let me know what you think, like, and share with friends! :D**


	32. The Gala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lockhart attends the McNair Gala with Britains wealthiest bachelor, will his plan for success pan out?

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Gilderoy apparated with a loud pop in the sleepy and drab muggle village. Not a single beautiful blond curl out of place as he looked around for his fame ticket, better known as Sirius Orion Black III.

Black was, unsurprisingly, already there. He leaned casually against a shop, as if the world itself bored him. The Lord-to-be robes were a bit dull, but it was just as well. Plain black complimented Gilderoy's magnificent purple splendidly.

"I hope I didn't keep you long." Gilderoy flashed a charming grin. "I wouldn't want to make you wait for my company for even a second longer than need be."

Black rolled his eyes, kicking off of the wall with his usual grace (and Gilderoy really had to get some tips off of him before this thing ended).

"Did you just drag me out here to pat your own back or is there actually a party around here?"

Offering Black his arm, Gilderoy grinned. "Allow me."

Giving a very loud and put upon sigh Black accepted (as he didn't enjoy this game just as much) and allowed Gilderoy to drag him towards the old castle that would hold his elderly and outspoken friend's yearly fest.

"How did your niece like my book?"

Black gave him a look.

"Nymphadora's opinion doesn't matter much, does it?"

"Oh, I think it does," Gilderoy laughed. "Entertaining little readers is why I do what I do, after all."

Black met his gaze, before looking back towards the old building.

"I'm sure. You must put in a lot of work to create such educational and thrilling stories."

Gilderoy smirked. "I take it she liked it, yes?"

Black rolled his eyes.

"I'll tell you later."

"No fair."

"Life isn't fair."

Gilderoy frowned.

"Just so you know," Black went on. "My grandad does know I'm here."

"Oh, so he approves then?" Gilderoy laughed at the face Black made. "That makes this much easier."

"That isn't-"

"I always knew you Blacks had good taste," Gilderoy smirked, unperturbed by his date's state. He also knew Blacks played hard to get.

That would just make the media hungrier (and the scandal that much sweeter).

"Well," Black began. "It's hard to argue with you there."

Smiling, Black tilted his head, causing the moonlight to hit his glasses just so.

"We're experts at determining what is or isn't worth our time."

His eyes almost look like the moon Gilderoy absentmindedly noted. He barely listened as the Heir to Britain's largest fortune went on about something or another. Nothing to do with the media or him, so Gilderoy couldn't really be bothered to listen.

"We're here," Gilderoy announced as the giant house came into view; light and laughter pouring out of the windows and balconies like water off a cliff.

* * *

As soon as they walked in, they were swarmed by the media

Black tried to do what purebloods normally did, which was push past and try to ignore them and all the opportunity they offer. Fortunately, Gilderoy was here to show him how it's done.

"Mr. Lockhart, why are you here with the You-Know-Who's 'alleged' right-hand man?"

"Black, why are you showing your face now of all times?"

"How do you know each other?"

Several more questions were shouted at them, quick-quote quills at the ready, the journalists mouths practically frothing.

Gilderoy tightened his grip on Black's arm, subtly keeping him in place, before he flashed the reporters a charming (and hopefully disarming) smile.

"While I'd love to answer all of your questions, it would be unfair to my date." Making a show of scanning the crowd, Lockhart let out an over-exaggerated gasp. "Well, I best introduce Sirius to our lovely host. If you'd excuse us.."

Black forced a carefully blank face as Gilderoy dragged him over to McNair, who was very pointedly not trying to hide her displeasure about his choice in dates.

"Lockhart, so glad you could make it." McNair's eyes darkened at the sight of the tall glass of gloom on Gilderoy's arm. "I can't say the same for your choice in company."

Gilderoy flashed a fake grin, "So you know of Sirius, then?"

McNair's scowl increased.

"Unfortunately."

"I see my reputation precedes me, as does your Gala, McNair." Black gave a lazy (yet frustratingly cool) wave of his hand. "It's very quaint."

"I'm surprised you actually showed your face," McNair's lip curled. "Truly, with all the dark magic you practice it's a wonder you have one at all."

Black raised his eyebrows. "Is that what happened to yours?"

Gilderoy nearly choked on his spit.

* * *

After one of McNair's friends stepped in to prevent her from killing Black (and making Gilderoy unfathomably famous) the uncaring heir dragged him away from the journalists who were currently mobbing their still slightly homicidal host.

Gilderoy allowed it, as it would give him time to decide how he wanted to spin the spat. And who he would support.

Currently, Gilderoy was regaling Black with the story of how he met McNair while he looked at him almost contemplatively.

"And so I said-"

"You called me Sirius," He interrupted. Having decided Gilderoy's story was either too boring to listen to (impossible) or could simply not contain his curiosity (understandable).

"Huh? Oh, I suppose I did." Gilderoy couldn't help but smirk. "Does that bother you, Sirius?"

Sirius's face warmed, "No. Yes.. We're just not close like that. Using my name makes it seem.."

Gilderoy gave a nod, his smile softening. "Yes, but it got the reporters to leave us alone. Plus, I like your name; It's pretty."

Scowling, Sirius huffed.

"Well, I do have to say I'm impressed."

"Really?"

"You handled McNair quite well. It will serve her well, I think; She can never seem to hold her tongue."

Sirius frowned, "You're just saying that because you know it'll get you in the paper."

Lacing their fingers Gilderoy brought Black's hand to his lips, "I do believe your gorgeous face alone would have landed us both on the front page. Every witch and wizard in the country will be seething in jealousy."

"Flatterer."

"You like it, though."

"Perhaps," Sirius's smile softened, and his fingers brushed his cheek as he tucked a blond curl behind Gilderoy's ear. "It's not as if it's very impressive compared to what you do, though. How many banshee's have you slain? Four?"

"Six actually," Gilderoy corrected. "I'm assuming this is your way of saying you enjoyed my earlier novel."

Sirius leaned back. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Cold, Black."

"So we're back to that, are we?" Now it was Sirius's turn to smirk.

"Tell you what. I'll give my honest opinion on your book if you-" Sirius nodded in the direction of the rest of the party. More specifically where a gaggle of journalists were squeezing McNair for all the freely-given gossip she was worth. "-Get us away from them."

Gilderoy smiled.

"Consider it done."

* * *

Sirius seemed unbothered by the chill in the air. Casually, his moon-like eyes gazed down at the valley below, like a king observing the peasants below him. The peasants being their fellow party-goers, still littered down on the lawn and inside the castle they lounged upon. The roof tiles cool against their skin even through the thick fabrics of their expensive robes.

Gilderoy tried to seem unbothered by the height. So he started the conversation on a topic that was most comfortable for him. Himself.

"I do believe you were about to regal me with how much you adored my writing."

Sirius rolled his eyes, leaning back dangerously.

"You really are full of yourself, aren't you?"

"You're not denying it."

"Yes, well you are a very talented storyteller, I admit." Sirius straightened back up, looking him in the eyes. "It actually got me thinking."

Gilderoy flashed him a smile, wrapping an arm around his shoulders (even Gilderoy knew it would be bad for his reputation if his date took a tumble due to his own recklessness. Death Eater allegations or not). "I have been known to inspire those less gifted than I-"

"It's actually something directly from your book," Sirius cut off, eyes flashing as he shrugged off Gildroy's arm. "You claimed to cure the Baba Yaga werewolf of his lycanthropy with a strengthened version of transuerso animagi."

Gilderoy felt unease seep in. "It was really a very, very complicated spell-"

"Yes, a spell used to force an animagus out of hiding," Sirius steamrolled right over his lie. "It shouldn't have worked on a werewolf. I'd know. You must have done something-"

"I don't remember-"

"Then we can experiment." A strange grin crossed Sirius's face. "Come on, Gilderoy. You always do such impossible things in your stories. This should be a walk in the park for you with proper funding and public backing."

Swallowing dryly, Gilderoy stood up, avoiding those moonlit eyes.

"Or are you afraid that the great Gilderoy Lockhart can't deliver?" Something in the Black heir's tone told Gilderoy that that was exactly what Sirius thought. "Do you not believe you're capable of casting the spell?"

"I'm saying it's not as easy as you're thinking." Gilderoy practically pleaded. But Sirius just opened his mouth and started talking about how "This wasn't a chance they could pass up" and Gilderoy just couldn't. He knew he wouldn't be able to.

He also knew Sirius wasn't going to drop this

Twitching towards his wand, "Obliviate!" was leaving Gilderoy's lips before he had even properly aimed. But it didn't matter.

Sirius caught him by the wrist with terrifying ease and yanked him forwards. Right over the edge of the roof.

Staring down at the courtyard with his heart in his throat, Gilderoy didn't need to see Sirius's face as he growled, "So this is how you do it, then?" to know he was surely fucked.

* * *

**Whoop! New chapter :) Hope you guys like it and are excited for part 2! **

**What will Sirius do to Gilderoy now? Can Gilderoy find a way out of this? Let me know what you think, like, and share with friends!**

**Also: Hope you are all doing okay. The world is hella scary rn and less than pleasant so please stay safe!**


	33. The Gala pt 2, Sirius's Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius and Gilderoy have a very elevated "chat"

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, only this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

After snatching Gilderoy's wand from his loose fingers, Sirius yanked the pompous jerk up by the wrist. Gilderoy banged his knees on the roof tiles as he was dropped.

"Give me one good reason not to go to the aurors."

"You.." Gilderoy gasped as he struggled to his feet, panicked blue eyes trying to meet Sirius's, finding them unmoving as steel. "You must understand-"

"What I understand is that you're a liar and a con artist. A _fraud_ who has apparently been brainwashing people so he can properly take credit for what they've done."

"Those people weren't cut out for fame, I was doing them a kindness really-" Gilderoy cut off at the look on Sirius's face. "People love my stories. My fans love _me_. I haven't even done anything wrong, really! Truly, the people I based my stories off of weren't going to do anything with their victories, so it's a win-win scenario."

"Keep telling yourself that," Sirius sneered. "You violated those witches and wizards rights to make yourself famous. Your fans, the people you lie to on a daily basis? They don't love _you_, they love the facade you put on."

"You're just jealous of me. Bitter that while I'll be remembered as fondly as Godric Gryffindor, all you'll ever be is a coward in our history books."

Sirius's jaw worked, before finally he turned on his heels.

Walking back towards the tower, the heir called over his shoulder, "I'll give you twenty-four hours to turn yourself in. Your sentence in Azkaban won't be as long then."

Sirius was already at the door by the time Gilderoy came to his senses. He hurried after Sirius like his arse was on fire.

It certainly felt that way.

"Wait!" Sirius turned around. "You don't want to get the aurors involved."

Sirius scowled. "Would you prefer I dealt with you myself?"

Gilderoy straightened, the same fake-smile on his face. "You wouldn't kill me. Not here, anyways. Too many people saw us together."

Sirius raised his eyebrows as he rolled Gilderoy's wand between his fingers. "You sure about that? Everyone knows I'm supposedly Voldemort's-' Gilderoy flinched at the name. "- big-bad second."

"Not a problem," Gilderoy said, recovering fairly quickly. "Not with what I know, anyways. Tell me, how did you figure out the animagi reversal spell wouldn't work on lycanthropes?"

"Because I have common sense? The rest of the horrifically inaccurate information just made it obvious."

Gilderoy, looking way too confident for a man who was wandless a hundred feet above the ground, laughed. "I see, and how were you planning to run the experiments? You have someone ready and willing I presume?"

Sirius's eyes narrowed. "What are you getting at, Lockhart?"

"Just that I've figured out your dirty little secret; you're a werewolf."

Sirius choked.

"A _what?"_

"How else would you know so much about lycanthropy? It's as you said, _you'd know."_

"Just because I'm not a fucking _idiot_ doesn't mean I am one, you moron. Not everyone is as bloody ignorant as you."

"Aren't they?" Gilderoy folded his hands behind his back, smugly. "Even the Dark Force Defense League seemed more than impressed with my work, given their last letter inviting me to join."

Sirius opened his mouth to deny it, before snapping it closed. As ignorant as the average person was he shouldn't be surprised.

No one cared enough to understand lycanthropy, let alone study it.

"Thinking back, a lot of things make sense now that I think about it." Gilderoy started listing off things on his fingers. "How you were always missing during the full moon at school, looking exhausted the next day. The way you went ballistic if our teachers said anything against the furry creatures, the fact your own family never hosts anything on the full moon... Even the shine of the moon is in your eyes!"

"You're wrong," Sirius took a fortifying breath. "Just because I'm not an arse doesn't mean I'm a werewolf."

"Then how else would you know? There's no other explanation, unless..." Gilderoy tapped his chin in thought. "..Someone you know was one."

Sirius felt his blood run cold.

"Was it Potter? He was locked away for some time before his death, so it would make sense if he had been bitten recently. Or one of your other little friends?"

"What does it matter?" Sirius felt hot as his fingers clenched the unfamiliar word, sparks collecting at the tip. "Unlike brainwashing and fraud, being a werewolf isn't a crime."

Gilderoy smirked. Like he'd won.

"Yes, technically. But we both know it might as well be with how you'll be treated if this got out." Gilderoy shrugged. "I'm not an ungenerous man, so here's the deal; I'll keep your secret if you keep mine."

Ducking under his incoming wand, Gilderoy watched indignantly as his precious cherry wand clattered off of the roof. Down to the courtyard below.

It would take forever to find it.

Turning to glare at the man ruining his life, Gilderoy shouted, "Why the bloody hell did you do that?!"

Sirius shrugged, jaw clenching as he put an effort in to seem blase. "Sorry, must be my _beastly nature_ showing through. Unfortunately for you, I don't play fetch."

"There's no reason to be so sore," Gilderoy replied, dusting himself off. "It's not as if you could understand my reasoning, anyways. Being born a Black guaranteed everyone would know your name, your stunt in and after the war even more so."

"Everyone _fears_ my name." Sirius raised his voice. "They think I'm some kind of monster who killed his own family."

"Aren't you?" It took Gilderoy all of two seconds to realize this was the wrong thing to say.

"Big words from a literal mind-fucker." Sirius pulled out his own wand, taking satisfaction in the way Gilderoy's eyes widened. "Maybe I should show you how it feels, hm? Azkaban is obviously too good for a judgmental git like you."

Gilderoy said something- _pleaded_, but all Sirius could hear was the ringing anger in his ear. Telling him to hurt him, to _kill him._ A dark part of Sirius considered it, he would get away with it, after all. Gilderoy's wand history would support whatever testimony he made and Remus would never have to know how he nearly fucked him over.

This was the part of him that was like Walburga.

Smothering it, Sirius shoved his wand back in his holster.

"Ah! You scared me there." Gilderoy exclaimed, sweating. "I'll be more than willing to overlook this if you-"

"Go ahead."

Gilderoy blinked. "I beg your pardon."

Sirius met his eyes for the first time that night, unsure how he felt about the fear he sensed.

"I said," Sirius took a step forward. _"Go ahead_. Tell them I'm a werewolf for all I care, it won't change where you're going or who you are."

Gilderoy sputtered, but Sirius was done.

"And I wouldn't try to run, because next time? I won't be merciful."

He apparated away without further ado

* * *

**Part 2 is out! Gilderoy is in deep shit now, and what will Sirius do if he goes through on his threat? There are only so many options without help, luckily he has plenty of that at his disposal**

**Though he may be unwilling to sacrifice the things needed for any of his families plans to work, or more specifically the person.**

**I hope you enjoyed this :D Let me know what you think and like!**


	34. Big Red Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arcturus babysits

**(I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, just this fanfiction's plot)**

* * *

Harry had been left at home while his daddy "went out" instead of being allowed to play at Draco's like usual.

His Aunt wasn't feeling well.

Being only four, Harry didn't quite care about that as much as the fact he wasn't going to see his friend today. His grandaddy staying to play instead didn't do much to temper his disappointment.

"Whatever are you up to?"

So, in boredom (and perhaps a bit in petty revenge) Harry had started coloring. Just not where he was supposed to.

Harry looked up, looked back down to the paint all over his hands and the wall- the red making it look quite like a murder had occured- and shrugged.

"I dunno."

His grandaddy looked at his masterpiece and gave a sigh as he pulled out a hanky, earning Harry's irate dismay as he started trying to wipe the paint off.

"Stop! I like it better this way!"

"Hades, you and I both know that isn't true," His grandaddy said even though it wasn't _true,_ Harry definitely was sure of that- "Now stop squirming or I will have to get the bubble charm instead."

Pouting, Harry glared as Arcturus continued to work. The Lord was having to bite back a laugh at the ridiculously angry looking toddler.

Smiling, he asked, "I take it you don't know where this came from, either?"

"I do!" His grandson insisted. "Kreacher gave it to me."

Arcturus hummed as he considered the benefits of using scourgify instead, before he decided against it.

Harry could scream quite loudly when he wanted.

"Did Kreacher also tell you to draw on the walls?"

Harry made a grumbling sound as Arcturus moved to wipe a bit of paint off his face.

"Hades," Arcturus began. "I asked you a question."

"I can't remember."

"Well why don't we clean this up to help jog your memory?"

Now cleaner (if a bit still stained up), Harry crossed his arms. "I don't want to."

"It's called responsibility," Arcturus knew someone had to instill it in the boy. "You made a mess, so isn't it only right you help clean it up?"

"It's not a mess!"

Arcturus would beg to differ.

"Its- I worked hard on it!" Harry continued, voice rising and lip starting to wobble. "Really really hard and- and-"

Sensing the incoming tantrum, Arcturus pulled out a different (clean) hanky to wipe away the tears already falling. Humming a little tune he used to sing to his daughter and a man-he-wouldn't-even-think-about as he rubbed his great grandson's back.

Harry hiccuped as Arcturus soothed him. Still feeling upset as he sniffled.

He wanted his daddy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," His grandaddy said, voice still low and quiet. "Do you understand why we can't leave this on the wall?"

Harry shrugged, even though he knew.

"Your father will be unhappy if he finds you've covered up the pretty walls," his grandaddy explains anyways. "But you are right, your drawing still deserves to be seen."

Sniffling, Harry rubbed his eye as he asked, "How is it gonna stay if we have to get rid of it?"

Still humming, Arcturus made a show of tapping his chin in thought.

"Oh! I know, how about you go fetch some paper from your room, hm? I'm sure we can find some way to move it onto a more suitable place of honor."

"Really?!"

_"Really_. Go on."

Nodding to the door, Arcturus smiled as Harry rushed off, quick as a stunner.

Harry became significantly less upset about spending the day with his grandaddy after Arcturus made the dog and ducks he'd drawn fly around the cottage.

Arcturus saw no reason not to indulge the boy when he asked to see more spells. It was never too early to spark an interest in learning.

* * *

Sirius stumbled in through the floo, feeling wretched inside for multiple reasons. Looking over the living room, he gave his grandad a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Judging by the fact you're alone, I'm guessing the date didn't go well?"

Shaking his head, Sirius settled himself on a seat opposite from Acturus.

"So how was babysitting Harry?"

"Colorful."

"That bad, huh?" Sirius looked around, though the house seemed in order. "Did he fight you much on going to bed?"

Summoning the tea, Arcturus nodded, "He refused to go to his own room at first, but I managed to get him to go down almost an hour ago."

Handing Sirius his own cup, Arcturus raised an eyebrow.

"Well? Are you going to indulge me in your evening or will I simply read about it in the paper like the common folk?"

"Gilderoy Lockhart was brainwashing people," Sirius finally began, stomach feeling in knots. "Tried to make me forget when I found out, obviously his supposed dueling skills don't match up with reality.."

"Judging by your lack of panic, I should hope I'm right to assume you didn't kill him."

Sirius shook his head, "No, no I didn't. But you might wish I had."

Seeing his grandfather's interest piqued (or scrutiny, as some would say), Sirius took a single, fortifying gulp of the piping hot leaf juice.

"You know the common folk are a bit simple on things we see as common sense?" Seeing his grandfather nod, Sirius went on, "Well, Cissy and I may have overlooked that when we made our plans.. You know I had suspected something ahead of the Gala."

"Get to the point, Sirius."

"Right, right.. Well Gilderoy was suspicious of my knowledge of lycanthropy, he accused me."

Sirius had expected a lot of different reactions, but laughter wasn't one of them.

Chuckling louder at the look on his grandson's face, Acturus Black wiped a real tear of mirth from his face. Sighing, he sobered just a twinge.

"Easy enough, I'll pull some strings to have the trial set on the full moon. All the Nobles will get a good laugh out of it, I'm sure."

"No, grandad we can't do that." Sirius hesitated, before forcing himself to say, "The knowledge I had isn't something you would know without being a werewolf."

"Well, unless you're about to tell me you spring a tail once a month, obviously you can."

"No, but it isn't." Sirius clenched his hands to prevent them from shaking, mouth feeling burnt and dry as he saw the gears click in his grandad's mind.

"Who is it?"

"I can't say."

"You damn well can and you will."

"It's not my secret to tell!" Sirius shouted, regretting it when he remembered Harry.

Lowering himself to a whisper, Sirius hissed, _"I would ruin his life."_

"And this would ruin yours!" Acturus stood, and Sirius forced his hands to remain still as the older man started to pace. Trying to remain calm as his grandfather rubbed the bridge of his nose.

His grandfather wasn't his father.

"Honestly, Sirius, do you just get off on flying this close to the sun? I can't leave you alone for five seconds without you seeing how long the wax will hold."

"It's not about me, it's about _loyalty."_

"To who? Potter? I can't imagine who else..." Acturus began, trailing off as he remembered the scarred-faced man his people had begun keeping tabs of after the alleyway incident.

It was almost painfully obvious.

"Sirius, you don't owe that man anything."

"You're wrong," Sirius shook his head. "I owe him so much and more, let alone _this_. I promised I'd never tell anyone."

"Lupin is a werewolf, Sirius!"

"Yeah, and so what if Remus is? It's not his fault, and he does everything he humanly can to not hurt anybody. I- society is the problem here, not him."

"You know that's not all there is to it. Loved ones have been lost to those things."

"They're just sick people, grandad." Sirius knew better than to walk into that trap. "Sick people with a horrible curse which might've already had a cure if everyone wasn't so afraid to be near them."

"For good reason."

"They can't hurt you any worse than any other wizard on normal days," Sirius insisted, feeling frustrated. "I would've told everyone about Remus years ago if that weren't true."

"So what's your plan? Hope that the rumor mill won't even ponder about what he'll say?" Turning to face Sirius, Acturus rubbed the bridge of his nose, "That they won't treat it as so if you don't disprove it?"

"If I do, they'll wonder how I know. It's common knowledge Remus was an old schoolmate... and as you've demonstrated, it's really not that hard to put the pieces together when you have them."

"This is self destructive. It'll affect everyone."

"I know, I'm sorry." And Sirius _meant it_. "But if I don't, I'll ruin his life. Remus will hate me forever- I'll hate _myself."_

Sitting back down, Acturus added something stronger to his tea. He took a swig and sighed.

"Pollox is not going to be happy about this. At all."

"I know. I'll handle it."

Acturus gave him a look, and Sirius grimaced.

"It's not the first time we've fought."

"Not about something this sore." Acturus sighed. "Just be careful, yeah? Loyalty is important, but your loyalty to us as family should be first and foremost."

"Yes sir," Sirius didn't flinch as his grandad laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to meet his silver eyes.

"Now is there anything else I should know?"

Biting his lip, Sirius' face reddened.

"Well... You know how Harry had begun calling me by that old nickname, Padfoot? There's a story behind that.."

* * *

Sirius told his grandad about becoming an illegal animagus, how he and his friends had done it to make the full moon more bearable for Remus.

Acturus added more scotch to his tea.

* * *

**Another chapter has been completed :D**

**What will Sirius do? Will Arcturus keep Remus's secret, or will he out him in favor of keeping his family safe?**

**What do you think will happen next? Let me know in the comments down below V I hope you enjoyed and have all been staying safe!**


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